How to Mend A Broken Heart
by RemyDico5
Summary: It's the summer after Regionals and Quinn is trying to get back to her old life and Jesse is trying to get over Rachel. Neither of them thought they would end up being the one to help the other through their problems. St. Farbray.
1. Chapter 1

Quinn still hadn't lost all the baby weight even though she had been going to the gym almost every day. She still had to make time for hanging out with friends and getting her annual summer tan. But as she looked at herself in her full-length bedroom mirror, she was still unhappy with her appearance.

She still had a hint of a stomach left that she was desperate to work off. She would have to spend an extra hour at the gym that day, mostly just to help make herself feel better. While she started changing into her work out clothes, she hummed a little bit of Rude Boy by Rihanna. It was surprising to her how she'd become much more musically inclined since joining Glee. The club seemed to have influenced her more than she cared to admit.

She had no clue what she would do once school started up again. Although she liked being in Glee, she had only joined to keep an eye on Finn while Rachel tried to wedge herself between them. Now that Rachel had succeeded in winning Finn, Quinn didn't know what to do. Not that she really wanted Finn back but she didn't know if she could stomach watching him and Rachel being all cute and frisky like she was sure they would be.

There was also the question of whether or not she was going to rejoin the Cheerios. She really missed, well, basically all of it. The practices, the competitions but especially the status she got from being head Cheerleader. Kurt had been able to prove you could do both but she didn't know if she was up for that.

The last year had been almost unbearable. She had gone from the top of the totem pole to the very bottom. She had been so many different things over the course of the year that now she didn't know who she was. She basically had a clean slate but had no idea what to do with it.

But she had the whole summer to worry about it and getting back to a size two. She could decide who she was later. In the meantime, she had plans to meet Santana at the gym. She quickly grabbed her Ipod from its recharger and stuffed it into her pocket.

"Quinny, where are you going?" her mom asked when Quinn already had a foot out the door.

"The gym." She answered irritated. If she was late Santana would be pissed.

"Again?" Mrs. Fabray asked. Quinn had no idea why she seemed surprised by this information. She'd been going every day since school let out.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Have you eaten?"

"I had a yogurt earlier."

"Ok." Her mom said approvingly.

"Bye Mom." She said before her mom could start in on twenty more questions.

XXX

When she got to the gym, Santana was already on the treadmill, working up a sweat. A lot of the guys were staring at her, or more accurately her boobs, as she ran. Quinn surveyed the room, starting to feel self-conscious. She felt a little better when she noticed a group of chunky girls in the corner on ellipticals. Quinn hated being the biggest girl in the room and it always was satisfying to see someone fatter than her.

Even though she'd quickly shaved off several pounds within just a few short weeks, her body was still something that made her feel uneasy. Before the baby, she felt nothing but pride in the body God had given her, knowing that half the girls in school would kill their own parents to look like her. She missed people thinking she was perfect and wanted to get that back so badly.

"You're late." Santana said when Quinn got on the treadmill next to her.

"Sorry." Quinn mumbled. "My mom was being a total nightmare."

"No problem." Her friend shrugged, her body glistening with sweat. "You'll just have to run even faster to catch up to me."

Quinn didn't waste any time and turned on the machine. She cranked it up to a speed where she could jog at an easy pace. If she ran too quickly without warming up, she would get cramps and be useless. She glanced at Santana's machine and saw she was already on her second mile. She hadn't been that late, had she? It was more likely that Santana's competitive side had come out and she had pushed herself to make Quinn look inferior.

_Some friend_, Quinn thought bitterly. She actually preferred working out with Mercedes, who was much kinder and always had something encouraging to say. And when they left the gym, they both felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. Santana would leave the gym bitching about how her ass was still big and how her only hope was liposuction.

Unfortunately, Mercedes had already had plans with Tina and Kurt. Quinn's feelings had only been slightly hurt that Mercedes hadn't invited her along. But she knew that the original six glee kids shared something the rest didn't.

She slipped her headphones on and turned on Lady Gaga's Paparazzi. She started jogging in time to the music until she got a good rhythm going and then she sped up. She was almost done with a mile when Santana hopped off her treadmill and stood by Quinn's. Santana pulled an earbud from Quinn's ear and informed her she was going to do some weight lifting. Quinn nodded, too out of breath to speak and continued to run.

Quinn could feel someone's eyes on her and she glanced around the room looking to see who they belonged to. She saw a dark curly haired boy turn quickly as she glanced at him and she couldn't help feeling that she'd seen him before. He was a row up and a few machines over so she couldn't get a real good look at his face. But the way his hair flopped around was so familiar but she couldn't put her finger on where she'd seen it before or whom it belonged to. It was like the memory was tapping on her brain but couldn't get out.

"Quinn." Santana hissed with irritation. She had been calling Quinn's name for a few moments already but lost in her music and the somewhat mysterious boy, Quinn hadn't heard her.

"That Jesse guy is here." Santana told her pointing towards him.

"Jesse?" she asked unable to place where she knew that name from.

"That kid Rachel dated from Vocal Adrenaline." Her friend reminded her.

"Right." She recalled, pressing the stop button on her machine. She couldn't even remember ever having talked to him before, not even when he had been at McKinley. He had always been sickeningly into Rachel and was always preoccupied with her. But Quinn had been dealing with her own problems and had better things to do than talk to a boy who was so obviously a spy.

She glanced back in his direction and was surprised to find he was looking at her again. Why was he suddenly so interested in her? Why was she wondering about him? Why did he quickly grin at her before turning back around and continuing his work out? Most importantly of all, why did it make her feel something? She chalked it up to flattery and pressed the start button a little harder than she meant to.

"Do you think we should go over and say something to him?" Santana asked.

"Why bother?" Quinn replied, shrugging indifferently. She started jogging again, figuring Jesse was free to look if he wanted, she didn't care either way. But despite all her best efforts, she found herself watching him, seeing if he snuck another glance at her.

She had no idea what was wrong with her. She had no feelings for Jesse whatsoever. She'd never even spoken to the guy. Sure, he was cute, hot even, but she knew the only reason she was thinking about him was because she desperately craved feeling wanted again. His blatant staring was giving her hope that she could still catch a guy's eyes. That she could be beautiful again.

XXX

After working out with Santana, who mostly kept to her own pace or flirted with guys, Quinn went home. She wasn't quite used to going home yet, having spent the better part of the last year living with other people. Now that she was back home living with her mom, it was taking some getting used to.

Her mom cried a lot lately. Not in front of Quinn but she still knew it was going on. The betrayal of Quinn's father was having a huge effect on her mother and Quinn was at a loss of what to do. She tried to be as comforting as possible but without actually talking about it, there was little she could actually accomplish in the way of helping.

She went up to her room and flopped onto her bed. So far the summer had been dreadfully dull. It seemed like everyone she knew were always doing the same things. So craved for something new to happen, anything different. So far the summer had consisted of parties with the same people and working out. And she was already bored with it.

The worst part about her stagnant routine was that there was nothing to distract her from thinking about Beth. She knew she had done the right thing giving the baby away but it didn't keep her from wondering. Was Shelby a good mother? Who would Beth grow up to be? Quinn cringed at the thought of her daughter being just like Rachel, a bossy loser with hardly any social skills. That or she had nightmares of her daughter being one of those faceless robots from Vocal Adrenaline who was only concerned with winning.

Shelby had given them the option of an open adoption, telling Puck and Quinn they were free to visit if they wanted. So far Quinn had not taken her up on that offer. She would just be too torn up to see the baby and know she couldn't have her. No, it was best to stay away.

Tired of living in her head, she changed into her bikini and went downstairs to their pool. If she was going to spend her time worrying, she might as well get a tan while doing so. The air felt dry as she walked outside, perfect for swimming.

She was about to dive in when her phone rang. Sighing, she reached for it and saw it was Puck calling. She considered letting it go to voicemail but instead reluctantly answered.

"Sup babe?" he asked and she rolled her eyes.

"What do you want Puck?" she asked annoyed.

"Are you going to Matt's party tonight?"

"I hadn't really thought about it." She answered honestly. The whole summer seemed to be nothing but parties and she was sick of waking up with a hangover. Just once she wanted a summer day that didn't start with her puking her gut out. "Why?"

"I just thought if you were going to go maybe we could…"

"That's not going to happen." She interrupted, knowing him well enough to know when he was looking for a hook up. She wouldn't be doing that with him again any time soon. She knew it would be awhile before she would trust a guy enough to do that again.

But now that her reputation had been tarnished and there was no way she could be head of the celibacy club again, she was surprised to find she didn't care. Sex had always seemed like such a big deal before when she was a virgin. But as Santana and Brittany showed, you could be as slutty as you wanted and as long as you were safe you were fine. Still, it wasn't like she was going to go around with just anyone.

"Fine." Puck said before hanging up angrily.

She threw her phone onto one of the lawn chairs and dove into the pool. The water was cool and refreshing and she stayed under as long as she could hold her breath. She remembered when she was little and would swim in the pool, how much she wanted to be a mermaid. Her world had been devastated when she'd discovered they weren't real. She couldn't help laughing at herself and how naïve she used to be. It was amazing how much she felt she had grown up over the last year.

The moment she knew she was pregnant, she figured it would make her an outcast as school. Everyone loved to see a popular girl fall from grace. She knew everyone loved seeing her world topple since she had treated people so bad.

But one thing she never realized was how alienating it would be even after she had the baby. She had gone through this whole giant experience practically on her own and it felt like no one even had a clue what it was like, not even Puck who seemed to be back to his usual self. She wished she could revert back as quickly as he had.

Well, going to Matt's party seemed like a step in the right direction to getting her old life back. So when she was done by the pool, she jumped in the shower and started getting ready for yet another night she would hardly remember.


	2. Chapter 2

"Fuck!" Jesse cried out, pulling his hand away from the hot stove. "Damn it." He cursed again, putting his burnt fingers in his mouth. He was attempting to cook some dinner but had gotten distracted. He'd been thinking about HER. In fact he couldn't seem to think about anything other than Rachel Berry and it pissed him off to no end. He wished he had gotten a chance to explain or something but it was too late for that now. The damage had been done and he was certain with him out of the picture, Finn had swooped in and taken Rachel.

The thought of the two of them together made him want to vomit. Why couldn't she see what a loser Finn was, how wrong he was for her? She needed someone who would challenge her, intellectually and musically. Finn could hardly keep up. He knew she was ridiculous if she thought they would actually work as a couple. And even if the did manage to suffer through it, he knew they would never be as good together as he and Rachel had been.

He went to the freezer and got some ice for his hand. He wrapped it in a paper towel and pressed it into the somewhat burned flesh. He had to be more careful and get over Rachel already. There was no point in him obsessing over something he couldn't have. He was always practical, going after goals he knew he could attain.

Interestingly enough, the only time he'd stopped thinking about her was when he saw that blond cheerleader at the gym, Quinn, he thought was her name. Quinn had been one of Rachel's favorite topics to bitch about. He knew all about the drawings and insults, basically everything Quinn had ever done to Rachel.

And even though he had sworn to Rachel that he didn't find Quinn or any of those other cheerleaders attractive, the moment he saw Quinn he was struck by how gorgeous she was, even when she was pregnant. He couldn't even fathom how good she would look when she wasn't knocked up. So when he saw he that day at the gym, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. All those times that he wondered what she'd look like and there she was.

He wasn't even sure why he was at the gym that day. He wasn't the type of guy that worked out, well not in the traditional sense. He stuck to dance classes and the grueling nine and a half hour Vocal Adrenaline rehearsals. But now that he was moving, with no idea of the programs available in Los Angeles, he didn't want his body to suffer. Not that he was planning on becoming a beefed up Neanderthal like some jock but he could still keep himself in shape.

And maybe there was a small part of him that was hoping to run into Rachel. That was why he drove to a gym closer to McKinley than Carmel. Before he had worked out, he'd gone to the music store and a few other places they have frequented when they were dating. He was standing outside the movie theater, looking at the showtimes for something Rachel would want to see when he finally told himself to pull it together.

He had fucked things up royally with Rachel and there was no way she would ever forgive him. So why was he still foolishly hoping that she would? He'd been watching when New Directions had performed at Regionals. He'd stood in the wings with a clear view of her. He'd seen Rachel and Finn sing Faithfully and there wasn't a doubt in his mind that if they weren't already together, they would be soon.

At least working out had helped him get rid of some of his aggression. Every time his body begged him to stop, his muscles feeling like they were on fire, he would conjure up the image of Rachel and Finn singing together and be able to push himself that much farther. He run a total of five miles before he finally felt able to stop. By that time Quinn and her bitchy friend had already left and he noticed he wasn't the only guy who looked disappointed.

He finished making dinner with no other mishaps. His parents were away for the summer, up in St. Bart's or some other vacation spot, he hadn't really been listening when they'd mentioned it. In fact Jesse a good portion of the year on his own. It wasn't a big deal during the year when he had rehearsals every day but now that he had so much free time, he had had to admit he felt a little lonely. And that left too much time to think about Rachel.

XXX

When he had finished eating alone, he reached for his phone. Like hell was he going to spend another night obsessing over Rachel. He dialed and waited impatiently for Andrea to pick up. There was only one problem.

"Hello?" Rachel answered.

_Shit_, he cursed himself. That's what he got for being unable to get Rachel out of his mind.

"Jesse?" she said softly and a lump formed in his throat.

He opened his mouth to speak but he couldn't get anything out. Hearing her voice was more than he could handle. He kept telling himself to hang up but he couldn't do that either.

"Jesse, is that you?" she asked waiting for him to say something.

"I dialed the wrong number." He said bluntly and winced. He wanted to be more eloquent but he sounded more like a babbling idiot.

"Oh." She said sounding disappointed.

"Sorry." He said wishing he could think of something else to say.

They were silent for a moment and he wanted to say a million things to fill it. He wanted to ask her if she was dating Finn now. He wanted to know if she would even consider taking him back.

"You know, you could apologize." She said finally.

"Would it make a difference?" he asked letting himself hope.

"Probably not." She answered, destroying any hope he had left "I'm with Finn now and you…you'll be leaving soon. Goodbye Jesse."

"I am you know." He said quickly before she hung up.

"What?" she asked waiting for him to explain.

"I'm sorry for that happened." He clarified.

"Have a nice life." She said indifferently as she hung up.

Grief-stricken, he called up Andrea, making sure he dialed the right number, and asked her to come over. It didn't take much convincing. Waiting for her to arrive was awful as he mulled over his conversation with Rachel. There had to have been a million things he could have done differently and none of them would have changed the fact that Rachel still hated him. He wished he had never called her at all.

"Hi." Andrea said strolling into his house without knocking.

Wordlessly, he took her hand and led her up to his bedroom. He closed his eyes as they kissed, pretending it was Rachel. Running his fingers through her dark hair made it easier to imagine she was someone else. And when he finally came, he bit down on his tongue to the point where he could taste blood just to keep from saying Rachel's name.

Andrea left soon after they were done, being able to tell Jesse wasn't in a cuddling sort of mood. He was thankful for that. And as he sat down at the piano in their livingroom, gently stroking the keys, he tried to think of anything other than her. He wasn't really playing a song, just random notes with no rhyme of reason to them. And every time she came into his thoughts, he would slam his hands on the keys trying to smash her out of his head.

He knew this was most likely going to be his summer. Eating alone, meaningless sex with girls from VA and a whole lot of time spent inside his head. He needed some sort of distraction, anything to make the summer go by faster so he could get the hell out of Ohio. Which was why he found his phone, called up Shelby and asked her, "Any chance you need a babysitter?"


	3. Chapter 3

Quinn sat in the kitchen, watching the party going on around her. She held a beer in her hand although she'd hardly had any of it. Everyone else was about three drinks deep and Brittany was already getting real friendly. Some of the guys kept giving her and Santana drinks so they would make out like they had at other parties. Quinn just stood by and watched, shaking her head.

"Hey babe." Puck said slipping his arm around her. "You don't look like you're having much fun.'

"I'm not." Quinn answered honestly.

"I could help with that." He offered and she shrugged out of his grasp.

"No thank you." She said coldly.

"What the hell is your problem?" Puck asked, obviously pissed at being blown off again.

"Just forget it." She said taking a small sip of her drink before walking away. She made her way through the house, looking for someone interesting to talk to. She wasn't surprised that there really wasn't anyone. Instead she walked out onto the back porch and sat down on the steps leading to Matt's pool. Two people were sitting on the lawn chairs making out and she tried her best not to stare and made a small attempt to figure out who it was.

Through the glass door behind her she could see the party going on. Last summer she would have been in the thick of it, surrounded by people that wanted her respect and friendship. Now the only people that bothered to talk to her were her friends from Glee and guys looking for a hook up. Now that she was no longer the epitome of chastity and virtue, guys seemed to be all over her. Like she was going to make that mistake again any time soon.

Finn had come, bringing his new girlfriend Rachel. Quinn still couldn't believe how low he had stooped. Although the anger she felt at seeing them together had more to do than her loathing of Rachel. If she was truly honest with herself, she missed Finn. He was a good guy who treated her well, even if she hadn't always returned the favor.

She missed being in love. The way her stomach would flip when she saw him. The way he would put his arm around her and assure her everything would be ok. She hadn't felt anything like that in a long, long time. Everything with Puck was just curiosity and hormones, it wasn't love. It would never been anything like love.

She wished she could find a boy that was a mix between the two. All the bad boy charm of Puck but the sweet and tenderness of Finn. Yes, she knew this was too much to ask for, that she was setting her standards too high. Boys like that were too much to hope for.

Sighing, she pushed off the stairs to stand, leaving the huge disappointment of a party. She dumped the rest of her drink in a bush on her way out and began walking. She let her mind wander so much that she didn't realize she was headed in the wrong direction.

She made her way towards the park although she was unsure why she chose that destination. She hadn't been there since she was a kid. Figuring she was feeling nostalgic, she made her way there. It would have been nice to have someone along for company but she wasn't interested in spending any more time with anyone from that party.

She went deep into the park to her favorite bench, the one she remembered from her childhood. It was surrounded by trees and was somewhat off the path. It was a place she knew she could be alone and think. And she had a lot of contemplate.

This summer would be a transition period in her life, she was aware of that. But she had to decide which direction it would go. The more time she spent with her old friends, the more tiresome it became. But she wasn't ready to go back to being a loser either. She hated being ignored and if she could avoid it, she would.

She sat down on the bench and ran her fingers through her hair. She'd gotten used to wearing it down instead of in a tight ponytail. What if she was just nothing next year? Maybe she would take a year and focus on her grades so she could go to a good college. Getting away sounded like a great idea. Maybe go far enough that no one knew about her past.

As if on cue, she heard something rustling towards her. It sounded like tiny wheels that were having trouble turning. Through the trees came a boy pushing a stroller. She recognized the boy immediately but it took a moment for who the baby could be to sink in.

"Beth." She said breathlessly before hopping up off the bench. She wasn't ready to see her. She couldn't see her. So instead she ran. Praying she didn't get lost, she navigated through the trees, attempting to leave without them seeing her.

It was just too much to handle. Why did they have to come to that park of all places? Why was everything turning out wrong? She was trying to move on from what had happened and get back to normal and it was like the universe wouldn't let her. Shelby lived in the next town over so why was Jesse bringing Beth here? And why had he been at the gym that day? There had to be gyms in Carmel.

Her mind was racing as she hurried back to her house. When she got inside, she slammed the door shut and tried to catch her breath. She'd been running like the devil was chasing her and after hearing what Jesse had done to Rachel, maybe she had been.

"Quinny, is that you?" her mom called from the other room.

"Yes mother." She called back, still somewhat out of breath. She made her way to the kitchen and got a glass of water to calm her nerves. Her hands were shaking out of fear of what almost happened. She couldn't handle seeing Beth, she just couldn't.

"How was the party?" Mrs. Fabray asked joining her daughter in the kitchen.

"Boring." Quinn answered honestly.

"That's too bad." She said sympathetically.

"I think I'm just going to head to bed." Quinn said sidestepping her mother and heading to her room. Once she was inside with the door closed, she sat down at her vanity and looked at herself in the mirror. After grabbing a rubberband she pulled her hair into a tight ponytail and stared at her reflection. _This is what I'm supposed to look like,_ she thought to herself.

Now with most of her baby bump gone, being a cheerleader again was a real option. The only question was if it was truly what she wanted or did she just miss her old status. And why was it so hard to choose?

Quinn went to the gym by herself, not wanting any distractions. She just wanted to work out quickly and be done. There was a boy lifting weights that kept staring at her. He was very cute and she found herself glancing at him too. He was a little too muscular for her tastes but at that moment she was finding she didn't really care. It didn't take long for him to come over to see her.

"Hi, I'm Greg." He said leaning against her treadmill with a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Quinn." She said smiling back.

"I've seen you in here before, I don't know why though, you look great." He said looking her over.

"Thank you." she said feeling a blush run to her cheeks.

"What are you doing after this?" he asked, moving closer to her.

"Going home to shower most likely." She confessed.

"Maybe I could give you a ride home." He offered,

"It's really not that far…" she said unsure how to respond.

"I insist. You shouldn't be walking, these streets are dangerous." He winked before going on his way. Quinn wasn't sure if she was charmed or creeped out.

When she had finished her workout, part of her was hoping he had gotten bored and gone home. The other part had set her heart racing wondering what would happen. This was it, the perfect test. It was someone who didn't know her at all but seemed to be attracted to her. It would be nice to see if he noticed the hint of a baby bump still present.

She didn't see Greg anywhere on her way out of the gym but when she walked outside, there was a car idling there. She checked to make sure it was him before getting inside. He had a decent car, a Toyota Corolla. It looks new.

"So…" he said

"So…" she repeated, waiting for the conversation to start.

"Do you have to get straight home or do you have time?" he asked putting the car into gear.

Quinn thought about what was waiting for her at home. Loneliness and her mother's never-ending set of questions. She wouldn't mind a shower, maybe a dip in the pool first. But the thought of just her and her mom for another night alone was too much. At least she could make their prison sentence together shorter for the night.

"I have time." She answered, smiling at her new friend.

"Great." He said rushing out of the parking lot.

They talked about some inconsequential stuff as they zoomed along. Quinn was having such a good time that she hadn't noticed that she didn't recognize any of the streets they were passing, although she did see a sign saying they were in Carmel. She should have asked him to turn around right then.

"Stop!" Quinn screamed doing her best to push him off her.

"What's your problem?" he asked.

"I don't want this." She said jumping off the couch to get as much distance between him and her as possible. "I don't even know you."

"Then why are you here?" he asked standing too. He took a step towards her and she took a step back.

"Because you brought me here. I didn't ask you to bring me to your house or for you to force yourself on me. Why does a girl agreeing to spend time with a guy automatically mean she has to sleep with him?" she asked indignant.

"I just thought…"

"I know what you thought." She said accusingly. "You thought a smile and a wink was all it took to get into my pants. How naïve do you think I am?"

"It's not a big deal." He shrugged. "I assumed you'd be into it."

"I'm not like that." Quinn said squaring off her shoulders and standing tall with determination. "I'm not that kind of girl."

"Are you a virgin?" he asked misreading what she was trying to say.

"No." she answered honestly and then instantly regretted it. It was none of his business.

"Then it seems that you are that kind of girl." He said moving closer and putting his arms around her. He went to kiss her but she did her best to move away.

"Get off of me." She said smacking him with as much force as possible.

"You stupid bitch." He cursed, touching his stinging cheek.

Quinn didn't respond, she just headed as quickly as possible to the front door. There was only one person close enough that she knew of. At least they could give her a ride home or let her use their phone. If only she hadn't left her cellphone at home, wanting no distractions while working out. She could have kicked herself.

She had been to Shelby's house once. Shelby had insisted Quinn and Puck meet their child. She didn't want history to repeat itself and to make the mistakes she had with Rachel. Quinn had seen them pass Shelby's house on the way to Asshole Greg's. All she had to do was retrace her steps.

It took longer than she would have liked and it gave her time to mull over what had just happened. She was foolish for getting into a stranger car just because he was hot. Trusting good-looking guys had brought nothing but trouble and heartache. She'd have to be less careless in the future.

When she finally got to Shelby's, she considered trying to find a payphone instead but her feet were tired and she didn't want to be stubborn. So reluctantly she rapped her knuckles on the door. She braced herself to see not just Shelby but Beth. Instead Jesse answered the door, with Beth in his arms. Quinn was surprised how big Beth had gotten in just a few months.

"Quinn?" Jesse asked obviously surprised to see her.

"Where's Shelby?" she responded a little ruder than she meant to.

"Out on a date. She should be home soon if you want to wait." He offered.

"Actually I—"

She was cut off by Beth's crying. Jesse checked her diaper and then walked into the other room, leaving the front door open as an invitation. After debating with herself with a moment, she walked into the living room after closing the door and sat down on the couch. Jesse walked back in with Beth and a bag.

She watched him take out a foam pad and place it on the floor. He then gently placed Beth on it and began changing her diaper. He did it so quickly and with such skill she was really impressed. She couldn't have done that.

"So why are you here?" Jesse asked putting out his fingers for Beth to grab and moving her arms about like she was dancing.

"It's kind of a long story." She said not wanting Jesse to judge her. She wasn't sure why, it shouldn't matter what he thought. Also she was too embarrassed to relive it.

"Well you've got till Shelby gets home." He reminded her.

"I made a bad decision and ended up stranded here. Let's just leave it at that." She said having to look away because she didn't like the way he was staring at her.

"What was his name?"

"Who?" she replied feigning innocence.

"The mistake." He said knowingly.

Quinn bit her lip, wondering just how much she should share with him. If she knew anything about Jesse, it was that she was not someone she could trust. But it wasn't like this was a big secret and maybe telling someone would make her feel better.

"Greg." She confessed. "I met him at the gym. He lives around here."

"Yeah, I know him. He's an ignoramus." He said making a face.

"I figured that out." She nodded. "I actually only came here to use the phone so I could call my mom to pick me up."

"Sure." He said picking up the baby and holding her in his arms. He grabbed the dirty diaper and carried it to a diaper pail in the corner of the room. "Follow me." He called over his shoulder as he left the room.

She did as he told her, even though she didn't enjoy being bossed around, and went the way he had exited. She found him down the hall in the nursery. Jesse had put Beth down in her crib and given her a pacifier. She was smiling and moving her limbs around. He leaned down and kissed her cheek while one of his longer curls fell down and her little hand grabbed it.

"Ow." He said disentangling his hair from Beth's grip. "That's what I get for showing affection."

"You seem good with her." Quinn noted.

"It's something you pick up quickly or at least I did." He said ever full of modesty. "The phone is over here."

He led her into the kitchen and showed the phone. She was just about to pick it up and dial when the front door opened and she heard what she assumed was Shelby walk in.

Jesse looked at Quinn then towards the front room. It was like he wasn't sure about leaving her in the somewhat dark kitchen.

"How was she?" Shelby's voice carried from the other room.

"Great." He answered.

"I really appreciate this. Being home with the baby all day was driving me a little insane."

"It's not a problem."

"That's what I'm worried about."

There was the sound of keys dropping onto the table. "While I'm loving time to myself, this should not be your summer. This is your last summer in Ohio. You should be having fun and spending time with your friends. This should not be all you have to show for your time."

"I really don't mind" he insisted. "With my parents out of town…"

"I know how hard this last year was for you. But you went out a champion. You should be proud of that, you're a hero to everyone in Vocal Adrenaline. Don't shut yourself off. You can't have you're only human contact be with a three month old."

She wasn't sure why but Quinn chose that exact moment to step into the main room. Shelby's eyes widened the moment she saw Quinn. Shelby looked at Jesse for an explanation.

"Quinn." She said unable to hide the surprise in her voice. "I didn't know you were here. You took me up on my offer. That's great!"

"Actually I got in a little bit of trouble. Jesse was just helping me out."

"That's…nice.' Shelby replied still looking puzzled.

"Well I really should be getting home." Quinn said heading for the door. "Jesse?" she said expectantly.

"Right." He said getting he hint. He gathered his stuff. "Beth is in her crib, call me if you need me to babysit again."

"Bye Jesse." Shelby said as he shut the front door.


	4. Chapter 4

"You didn't have to do that." He said after a few moments of silence.

"Do what?" Quinn asked thanking God for some resemblance of a conversation.

"The fast getaway."

"I was trying to help." She said looking offended.

"The point is I didn't need your help. I could have handled it." He said resentfully.

"Sorry for getting you out of a very awkward situation." She replied sarcastically.

The car went silent again as Jesse tried desperately to think of a retort. He knew Shelby has just been trying to give him advice but laying out all his problems for Quinn to hear was so embarrassing. And worst of all he'd needed a Cheerleader's help to get out of a mess. He felt ashamed that he hadn't been able to fix it himself.

"So is what she said true?" Quinn asked breaking the silence.

Jesse sneaked a glance at her and then made himself turn back to the road. Was this an honest conversation they were about to have? Was that the best idea, to pour his heart out to Quinn Fabray? It wasn't like any of it would get back to Rachel, yet that didn't mean he was up for sharing.

"I'll take that as a yes." She said interpreting his lack of response. "For someone who was a spy you're terrible at hiding your emotions."

"Yeah, well I wasn't trying to." He said bitterly.

"Why was this last year hard for _you_?" she asked confused.

"You used to be a spy for Coach Sylvester, right?" he asked having heard about it from Rachel.

"Yes…" she answered, not getting his point.

"Well did you like doing it? Did it make you feel good about yourself?"

"No, not at all." She responded honestly.

"Well imagine that but with romantic feelings towards the person you were meant to spy on." He said doing his best to explain.

"So you actually liked Rachel?" she asked astounded. Apparently the idea of anyone falling for Rachel was hard for her to grasp.

"Yes, I actually did." He said gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly.

"So the whole tough time is from you trying to get over her?" she inquired, putting two and two together.

"Basically." He said feeling foolish.

"So where does Beth come in?"

"My parents are out of town. That's a lot of time alone for me. Until I started watching Beth, I hadn't been coping with the break up very well. There was a lot of meaningless hook ups and working out my frustration at the gym. That and quite a bit of heading to places Rachel and I went to, hoping to see her."

"If you liked her, why did you and your cronies egg her?"

"Hey, I hardly think I need to get a lesson in ethics from the girl who cheated on her boyfriend with his best friend."

Quinn's mouth gaped open in shock and Jesse smirked, glad to have hit a nerve. He'd been beating himself up about the egging since the moment it happened. He didn't need to hear it from someone else and especially not from her.

"Fine." She said turning away from him and staring out the window.

_Shit,_ Jesse thought. What was with this conscience he seemed to have grown? He half expected Jiminy Cricket to come out and sing to him. Usually smacking someone down like that made him feel almost euphoric. Now he felt almost melancholy about hurting her feelings. What was that about? Why did he actually want to take back what he'd said? That wasn't like him. He wasn't even sure what he was like anymore.

He should have bounced back from the whole Rachel thing by now. He was Jesse St. James, the star of Vocal Adrenaline. Except he wasn't anymore. He was out of High School, which meant he wasn't anything anymore. He was in limbo.

That was the problem with nothing to distract him and nothing to remind him of his awesomeness. He was forgetting himself and he didn't like it. He was getting lost in HER, or at least the memory of her.

"Look, you know nothing about me." Quinn said finally, obviously having mulled over what he'd said. "Don't think you know everything just because Rachel can't keep her big mouth shut."

"You're right." He said and it almost killed him to admit it.

"What?" she asked taken aback.

"We don't know each other. I shouldn't judge you based off what I've heard from other people and you should extend me the same courtesy."

"Why? It's not like we owe each other anything or that we'll even see each other again." She pointed out.

"You never know. We do go to the same gym." He reminded her.

"Are you going to come up and talk to me now if were there at the same time?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"Would it be really strange if I did?"

"A little." She grinned.

"Well I wouldn't want you to get in trouble with your friends by talking to me."

"The way I see it, we all do horrible things to each other. As you were so nice to point out, I haven't been the greatest person either."

"So what you're saying is that we're both terrible human beings?" he asked looking for clarification.

"I'm saying maybe were not that different. That and I stopped caring what people think about me a long time ago."

"You never really can though, can you?" he said knowing better than to think someone like Quinn was impervious to trying to please people.

"Not really." She agreed with a sigh.

The conversation died down and was replaced with Quinn giving him directions. He pulled over to curb in front of her house and waited to see how this bizarre day would end.

"Well thank you." She said reaching for the door handle. "For the ride."

"And thank you for saving me back there. I do appreciate it, even if I'm lousy at showing it."

"You're welcome." She opened the door and got out. She stood there with the door still open, biting her lip as if she wasn't sure if she wanted to say something more.

"Good night Quinn." He said making up her mind for her.

"I guess I'll see you around?" She asked uncertain and what he wished was a hopeful tone.

"Maybe." He answered in a way he desperately wanted to sound compelling and mysterious.

"Bye." She said giving him a small wave before closing the door. He watched her hurry to the front door, her hair swinging back and forth like sunlight hitting the earth. He made sure she was safely inside before pulling away. Humming joyfully to himself, he made is way back home knowing she had glanced back at him.

Jesse had never been to Sheetz N Things before and at that moment he was thanking God for that. The scent was so bad it was offensive and most of the stuff he found very tacky.

He walked to the back of the store looking for the office or someone who looked like they were in charge. All he found was a very flamboyant middle aged man yelling at an employee.

He was about to interrupt when a scary looking blond woman appeared out of nowhere. "Can I help you?" she asked, her large eyes freaking him out.

"I'm here to pick up the money going towards Vocal Adrenaline's new tires." He informed the somewhat unsettling woman.

"Of course." Scary lady said turning on her heel and heading into what looked like a closet. Jesse waited, getting more uncomfortable by the minute. He was doing his best to hold his breath so no more of that smell would get into his nostrils.

"Here you are." She said, her raspy voice grating on his ears.

"Thanks." He said tentatively taking the envelope from her.

He turned to leave and ran straight into Puck and Finn. They both had their arms crossed over their chests looking intimidating. Puck took a step forward but Jesse stood his ground.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked

"Off to give VA members the money you worked so hard to earn." He said waving the envelope in their faces. It probably wasn't his smartest idea, knowing both of them could pummel him to death. In a way he was kind of hoping they would. He knew he deserved it. It would be the ultimate Karma and he was mentally preparing himself for it.

"You should be burned alive for what you did to Rachel." Puck said getting even more in Jesse's face.

"Hey man." Finn said pulling him back. "He's not worth it. Scum like him doesn't deserve the energy."

"Just one shot." Puck said clenching his fist.

"Wait." Finn said stepping between them. Jesse relaxed, thinking he was off the hook. Then Finn punched him in the gut and Jesse doubled over in pain.

"You're a miserable human being and I hope you stay awake at night knowing you lost her forever." Finn said.

"What makes you feel worse? The fact that I so obviously played her and you did nothing to stop it or that when given the choice between you and me, she picked me?" Jesse foolishly responded, egging Finn on. He stood up tall and waited to start shedding blood.

"Oh that is it." Puck said heading to hit Jesse. "You're dead you little shit."

"Stop." Finn said hoping Puck back again. "It doesn't matter, you know why? Because you don't matter. Now get out of here."

Jesse fixed his clothes, ran his fingers through his hair and did his best to strut out of the hellhole known as Sheetz N Things.


	5. Chapter 5

Quinn had no idea why she thought a night bowling would be fun. She didn't even really like bowling. But when Mercedes had called and invited her, she had jumped at the chance. It was probably because she couldn't stomach another night being at home with her mom.

She knew there was a party that night. Puck had called to make what felt like his daily proposition. When was he going to give up already? It wasn't like he was interested in being her boyfriend. He was just looking for round two. Like she was ever going to make that mistake after what happened the last time.

Artie, Tina, Kurt and Mercedes were already there. Quinn went to join them and was greeted with smiles from the group. "Hi guys." She said in response.

"Hey Quinn, we put your name in already. You're up after Tina." Mercedes informed her.

"Hello fellow Glee Clubbers." A voice said from behind her.

Quinn turned to see Rachel and Finn making their way over to them, their hands clasped together. Quinn cringed and turned away. It was still hard for her to see Finn with Cousin It. As her first real boyfriend, she hated that he seemed to have rebounded to Rachel. She knew he could do so much better. Just how exactly had that thing sunk her talons into him?

Although Finn looked happy, which killed Quinn even more. How could that dwarf make him happy? They were sitting together looking like they were attached at the hips. For some reason that made her think of Jesse. He had to babysit Beth for a distraction from his heartbreak while Rachel sat there giggling with her new boyfriend. Even if he had been a prick to Rachel, Quinn knew seeing this display would hurt him more than he deserved.

She shook her head, doing her best to get him out of it. Jesse St. James had no business being in her thoughts. Instead she would concentrate on being with her friends. After waiting all summer for Mercedes to include her, why did it feel so weird when she finally did? Being with the Glee club as they cracked joke she didn't get and referenced times she hadn't been present for just made her feel even more alienated from them.

"Hello Quinn." Rachel said interrupting her thoughts.

"Rachel." Quinn said hardly responding.

"I didn't think you would be here." Rachel said continuing to try and have a conversation.

Quinn wondered if Rachel picked up that she wasn't interested and was pushing on anyway or if the girl was just oblivious. "I didn't know you were coming either." Quinn answered truthfully.

"Well Artie invited Finn and Finn invited me." She said smoothing out her very short skirt and flicking her hair as if she didn't care what Quinn thought.

"I'll be right back." Quinn said walking away. If there was one thing she couldn't stand it was Rachel's condescension. She headed around the corner into the bathroom and locked herself into one of the stalls. Running her fingers through her hair, she did her best to center herself. There was so much running through her head that it felt cluttered. Jesse, Rachel and Finn, her Glee friends and her other friends that were probably drunk by now.

"Why did you invite Quinn?" Rachel's voice came in as some people entered the bathroom. Quinn quickly jumped on the toilet so they wouldn't know she was there.

"She's my friend." Mercedes answered simply.

"She's not your friend. She's not any of our friends. She's a Cheerio."

"So? I was a Cheerio, Kurt was a Cheerio. Things don't work like that. We're all in the Glee club and as long as we are, we're the same. The more we think like that, us vs. them, the more we enforce it."

"I know I just hate seeing her. If Finn had been Beth's father they would still be together. I can't help thinking about that when I see her."

"You shouldn't worry about that Rachel." Tina said encouragingly.

"She's right. Finn's with you and Quinn doesn't want him back. So you don't have to worry about her stealing him."

"She told you that?"

"No but Quinn told me she's focusing on herself for now."

"Well…" Rachel said still unsure.

"Rachel, I know it goes against you basic nature but please stop freaking out."

"I-"

"-What are you guys going? It's your turn Mercedes." Artie called through the door.

"We should get back." Tina's footsteps echoed on the floor as she headed towards the door.

"Let's go." Mercedes agreed as they all left.

Quinn waited a few moments before sneaking out of the bathroom. She didn't want them to know she had heard them. She did her best to leave without anyone seeing but it didn't work so well.

"Where are you going?" Mercedes asked hurrying to catch up with her.

"I have to go." Quinn answered vaguely, hoping Mercedes wouldn't ask too many questions.

"Why, what's wrong?" she hated the concern in Mercedes' voice.

"I forgot I promised Brittany I would help her with some of her summer school homework." She lied hoping Mercedes would buy it, knowing how dumb Brittany was.

"Are you off to the popular kids party?" her friend asked not believing her.

"No, I'm sick of those."

"Well maybe you wouldn't be if you had a friend go with you." She said suggestively. "Like…me."

"I'm seriously not going to a party tonight. But the next time I do, you're definitely coming with me." She promised.

"Right." Mercedes said skeptical.

"I promise." She said genuinely. "But I have to go. I'll text you later."

"Bye."

Quinn got in her car and wondered where to go next. It wasn't like she could go home, she had no interest in that party and going back inside would be like a nightmare. She sat with the air conditioning on thought about what they had said. It seemed no one was ever honest with her unless her back was turned. It made her think of Jesse again and the real conversation they'd had. Well at least she'd been truthful the whole time, he could have been lying but she didn't think so. He wouldn't have mentioned half the stuff he had if he wanted to lie.

Why didn't other people just tell you the truth? Or maybe it was just that Jesse had no problems being bluntly honest. It was probably because he liked pointing out your shortcomings.

Still it was rare to find someone who would tell you the no holds barred truth. People usually preferred to lie or sugarcoat. And even though she didn't care for Jesse, it was a quality she could admire in him. Maybe it was something she needed in her life.

Before she had time to change her mind, she put her car in drive and headed towards Carmel. The entire ride over her stomach was doing flips and she kept telling herself to turn around and just go home. What would she do if Jesse wasn't at Shelby's? She had no idea where he lived. Why did she even want to see him again in the first place? Was she that desperate for someone to talk to?

When she arrived at Shelby's she was relieved to find Jesse's car in the driveway. The realization of that was bizarre, the fact that she was glad she was going to see him. She felt pathetic for driving all that way. He would probably think she was some kind of stalking freak.

She debated with herself for a moment before getting out of the car. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door and waited. When Jesse came to the door, he looked shocked to see her, which she understood. The last time she had been there it wasn't like she had seemed like she had plans to come back. It had been sort of up in the air if they'd ever even see each other again.

"Hi." She said shifting her feet nervously.

"Hello." He said moving out of the way to let her inside. "I wasn't expecting you."

"I know." She answered sitting down on the couch. "I…"

She wondered just how much she could confess to him. How much she should confess to him. The fact of the matter was she hardly knew him and that was bad and good at the same time.

"You what?" he asked sitting down next to her.

"I didn't have anywhere else to go." She informed him and felt like such a loser.

"That's pretty much what this place has turned into. A sanctuary for people who have no where else to go." He told her, letting her in just like she had.

"Just how often do you babysit Beth?" she asked wondering just how often Shelby was off trying to find a guy.

"Usually just two nights a week but Shelby's interviewing people to take her place as Vocal Adrenaline's coach. That's why I'm here."

"Oh." She was unsure how to respond. "So how have you been?"

"The whole two day since you've seen me last?" he asked with a chuckle. 'I'm coping. I'd love to just skip this part and go right to college."

"I can't wait to go to college. Maybe then people will stop staring at me like I'm some freak for having a baby."

"How do you know they're not staring in a good way? I mean it's kind of hard not to."

Quinn blinked at him for a moment, making sure she'd heard him right. "Did you just give me a compliment?"

"Maybe." He said grinning at her.

"I think you just called me beautiful." She said interpreting what he'd said.

"I didn't tell you anything you didn't already know." He shrugged and got up off the couch. She watched him in amazement as he went into the kitchen. "Do you want anything?" he called back to her.

"Something to drink would be nice." She yelled back. "Water or juice, whichever you have."

"Coming right up."

Quinn stood up and walked into the nursery. Beth was in there sleeping, some soft classical music playing. It was strange to think this could have been her life. Beth could have lived with Quinn and her mom. She could have kept her baby and maybe it could have been her distraction. Then what would Jesse do to get over his break up? Maybe he would be the one at the gym every day working off his frustration and anger.

"Quinn?" Jesse called out.

"In here." Quinn said quietly, hoping he'd hear her but she didn't want to wake up Beth.

"Here you go." He said handing her a glass of Orange Juice.

"Thanks."

"Not to sound creepy or anything but it's amazing watching her sleep. It's so calming."

"It doesn't sound creepy, I get it." Quinn said staring at how peaceful Beth looked.

"I think she looks a bit like you." He said turning to face her.

"Really?" Quinn asked facing him as well.

"Really." He nodded.

For a moment they just stared at each other and Quinn felt her heart start to race. It felt like at any second he might try to kiss her and she had no idea how to respond. Would she let him or would she move away? Did she even want him to kiss her? She made the mistake of glancing at his lips and quickly had to look away because they made her imagine what it would be like to feel them touch hers. She just prayed that she wasn't blushing.

She quickly turned away from him, knowing there was no way she could make up her mind about it right that moment. It would be better if she just didn't give him the opportunity. What was wrong with her? She barely knew him and what she did know was that he was bad news. She'd seen an egg covered Rachel as proof. Then again she'd done some not so nice stuff trying to fit in with everyone else. That didn't mean she should be thinking about kissing him as intently as she was at that moment.

A few compliments and she was considering making out with him. Was that really all it took? She had to be better than that. There was no way she was that pathetic and lonely. Still, if she was so superior, why did she have nowhere else to be?

"You know, I was thinking of asking you out to dinner." He said interrupting her thoughts.

"What?" she asked allowing herself to glance at him.

"I just thought that if you have nowhere else to be and I have no plans, maybe we could be lonely together."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. It was like he was hearing her thoughts, which was freaky. Although maybe he had just been thinking the same things as she had. "Ok." She agreed.

"What?" It was his turn to be surprised.

"I'll go to dinner with you." She clarified. "But I'd prefer if we went some place in Carmel. There would be a lot of unpleasantness if someone saw us together."

"So tomorrow night?" he asked

"One second." She said walking into the kitchen. She had seen a pen and paper in by the phone when she was there the other day. She wrote down her number and pulled off the top piece of paper. Walking back into Beth's nursery, she handed it to Jesse. "Give me a call."

"I will." He said folding it and putting it in his pocket.

"I should probably get home." She said backing away towards the door before anything else happened. She'd already agreed to dinner with him, what else would she agree to? It was like she had no idea what her limits were anymore. She'd gone off with that Greg guy she'd hardly known and now she was going to dinner with Jesse.

She wondered if she should tell him they were just going out as friends but that didn't sound right. Where they friends? They didn't seem like friends. She had no idea what they were. She would just have to wait till the next night and find out.


	6. Chapter 6

Jesse had never in a million years thought that when he asked Quinn to dinner she would actually say yes. Yet there they were eating at Lamoure, his favorite restaurant. They'd had some polite conversation while they waited for their food and now that it had come they were both eating quietly.

Even though he tried not to, he couldn't help staring at her. If he had thought she was beautiful before, it was nothing compared to how she looked bathed in candle light. She was just sitting there eating her chicken Parmesan and he'd never seen anything lovelier. It was almost enough to make him forget about Rachel, almost.

It had been awhile since he had been on an actual date. With Rachel they mostly just rang together in her room and he would give her pointers. Their only real date was the Wiggles concert. Before Rachel was much the same as it was after her. Random hookups with girls from Vocal Adrenaline. Most of the guys from VA revered Jesse as some kind of God because of all the girls he had gotten with.

That was why he figured it was taking him so long to get over Rachel. It had been such a long time since he'd been with the same girl long enough to develop actual feelings for them. Rachel had been a curve in his usual routine and he was having trouble getting back on track.

Of course dinner with Quinn was probably the opposite of what he should have been doing. It was dumb to get invested in someone new, especially when he was so close to leaving. What was he thinking was going to happen with her anyway? It wasn't like this was going to turn into something real. And Quinn wasn't about to put out so what was he doing wasting his time? Was this some desperate attempt to rebound from Rachel? If a bunch of girls from VA couldn't get him over her what made him think Quinn could?

Maybe it was just that he didn't want to be lonely anymore. And since he kept running into Quinn she seemed like the perfect cure. Although he would prefer if they were sleeping together but was acutely aware that was not going to happen. After what she'd been through he understood why.

"So are your parents coming back before you go to college?" she asked interrupting his thoughts.

"They said they would but who knows? They travel so much it seems like they're gone more than they're home."

"Well at least they didn't kick you out like my parents."

"You're back with them now though, right?"

"Just my mom." She clarified. "My dad ran away with his mistress."

"You sound pretty resentful." He could hear it in her voice.

"I'm not." He was about to contradict her when she changed her mind. "Ok, maybe a little. I still haven't really forgiven my mother so it makes things awkward at home."

"Forgiven her for kicking you out?"

"For being a coward. She knew I was pregnant and she was just so afraid to stand up to him that she didn't do anything. She just stood idly by and watched him kick me out."

"That's terrible." He said and meant it.

"I sometimes wonder if my parents were still together would I still be living with Mercedes."

"Probably." He answered considering it. "Then again they might have changed their minds once Beth was born."

"My father doesn't change his mind." She said bitterly before sipping her water.

"So why did you move back in if you're still holding a grudge towards your mom?"

"I didn't want to be a burden on Mercedes' family anymore. That and I could tell my mother needed me. I think she was frightened of being on her own."

"That's kind of you to put aside your differences to be there for her."

"What choice did I have? With my sister off and married I was my mom's only option."

"You still could have told her to go screw herself after kicking you out. You didn't owe her anything."

"I guess." She said contemplating it. "It's just hard to turn someone away when they really need you."

"But she wasn't there when you needed her. Why should you do what she didn't?"

"Things don't always have to be reciprocal. By that logic Rachel should run in here now and pelt you with eggs."

"Puck and Finn slashed our tires. How is that not reciprocity?"

"Because they're paying for it. That and you guys won Regionals?"

"So somehow it's my fault you guys came in third?" he asked indignantly.

"No but if there was any kind of justice in the world, we would have beat you."

Jesse thought over what she said. People didn't win competitions because they deserved to, as if it was something they were due. They won because they earned it. And VA had definitely earned each and every trophy they won. The long rehearsals, living off red bull, throwing up from working for hard. Not to mention the fact that he was singing lead, how could they not win? Jesse St. James did not come in second.

And even though he wasn't about to say any of that to Quinn, it did give him an idea. "Come on." He said paying the check.

"Where are we going?" she asked following him out of the restaurant.

"You'll see.' He said cryptically as he headed for his car.

"I should give you money for the dinner." She said once they were inside. She started reaching for her purse but Jesse put his hand on top of hers to stop her.

"A gentlemen always pays on a date." He insisted.

"Since when are you a gentlemen?" she challenged.

"I have my moments."

"And this is a date?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, did I not make that clear when I asked you out?"

"I wasn't sure if this was a date or a friends thing."

"I don't often take my friends out to dinner." He said smiling.

"You have friends?" she joked.

"Very funny." He said not amused. He pulled into the parking lot of Crooners.

"What is this place?" she asked looking around for some sign of where they were.

"Karaoke." He said mischievously. He got out of the car and noticed she was not doing the same. Walking over to her side, he opened the door for her and waited. She was staring down at her hands and wouldn't look at him.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure I'm up for this." She said biting her lip nervously.

"What are you talking about? You sing in front of people all the time."

"Not all the time."

"Look, chances are you won't know anyone in there and you'll probably never see them again, so you have nothing to lose." He reasoned.

"Still…"

"Come on." He said taking her hand and pulling her out of the car.

"Wait Jesse, please. Can't we do something else?" she pleaded, dragging her feet as he did his best to make his way towards the building.

"No." he said stubbornly still pulling her inside.

"Fine." She said jerking her hand from his grasp. "But I'm not singing."

"Actually you are." He smirked.

"What do you mean?" she asked looking concerned.

"There's a rule here, all first timers have to sing." He said enjoying the look of horror on her face.

Her jaw continued to drop and he started to feel kind of bad. He wasn't trying to force her or anything. He just realized he had never really heard her sing and he was curious. Mostly he was just being playful, not vindictive. He couldn't help thinking that if he was with Rachel she would have run inside and he would have had to hurry to keep up with her.

All of a sudden he could barely see because there was a spotlight shining in his eyes. "Look everyone it's Jesse St. James!" Bill, the owner/announcer said over the PA system.

"Come here often?" Quinn presumed looking bemused.

"A fair amount." He said taking her hand and leading her to a table.

Bill announced the next person and everyone clapped encouragingly. After they were done, the spotlight landed on Jesse and Quinn again.

"How about the beautiful girl with Jesse goes next?" Bill said.

"Jesse, I can't." she said over the clapping.

"You'll do great."

"I seriously can't." she said glancing around at all the people.

Unsure why, he leaned over the table and pressed his lips to hers. He had no idea what had come over him and he half expected her to slap him. After a moment he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers so she had no choice but to look at him.

"You can do this. Just remember this is just three minutes f your life. That's all. Besides, I didn't think you were the kind to get stage fright."

"I'm not. Maybe I'm just nervous about singing in front of you."

"Why?" he asked confused.

"I don't want you to compare me to her. I feel like you're going to judge me."

"I won't. This is just for fun, it's not American Idol."

"Ok." She said with a small nod. She pulled away and made her way up to the stage. She went over to the machine and picked a song. The opening chords started and he saw a look of determination on her face as she leaned towards the microphone.

"_You won't admit you love me and so how am I ever to know? You only tell me Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. A million times I ask you and then I ask you over again. You only answer Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. If you can't make your mind up we'll never get started. And I don't wanna wind up being parted, broken hearted. So if you really love me say, but if you don't dear, confess but please don't tell me perhaps, perhaps, perhaps." _

He couldn't help smiling as she gently swayed to the music. It was an interesting song choice and you would never be able to tell she was nervous. She didn't sound scared, her voice didn't waiver at all.

She had a nice voice, passable. Some training would definitely help. At least she had some stage presence that was something that you couldn't learn. While she was up there you couldn't help but stare at her.

When she was finished, the crowd burst out into applause. Jesse joined in cheering with everyone else. She came back over and sat down. He was glad to see she had a wide smile.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" he asked.

"I guess not." She shrugged.

"Can I give you a pointer?" he asked being used to giving people advice about their singing.

"I'd prefer if you didn't." she said making a face.

"I'd stay away from songs about love."

"And why is that?" she asked annoyed.

"You're not believable when you sing them. Know why?"

"I'm sure you're going to tell me." She said rolling her eyes.

"I think it's because you've never been in love. See anyone can sing about love but unless you've experienced it, the audience can tell there's something lacking. It doesn't resonate up to your eyes."

"I've been in love." She contradicted huffily.

"No you haven't." he shook his head confidently. Someone else started singing Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.

"How do you know?" she asked raising her voice to be heard over the music.

"Because you can't sing love songs."

"I loved Finn. I even might have loved Puck at one point."

"Ok let me ask you this, with either of them was it like you couldn't stand to be away from them? Was seeing them enough to get you out of a bad mood? Did you let either of them in enough that they knew every little thing about you? Your fears, what makes you smile, your dreams?"

"And I suppose you had all that with Rachel."

"No." his lips turned down instantly from hearing her name.

"Then you can't sing love songs either?" she conluded.

"I can."

"How?"

"Because I'm a magnificent actor." He said getting out of his chair and heading onto the stage. The girl singing had just finished so he went over and chose a song.

"_You're a fallen star, you're the getaway car, you're the line in the sand when I go too far. You're a swimming pool on an August day and you're the perfect thing to say." _

He jumped off the stage with the Mic in his hand and headed towards Quinn.

"_And you play it coy but it's kind of cute. When you smile at me you know exactly what you do. Baby don't pretend that you don't know it's true cause you can see it when I look at you. And in this crazy life and through this crazy time it's you it's you, you make me sing. You're every line, you're every word, you're my everything." _

When the short instrumental break came, he pulled her out of her seat and they slow danced together. She laughed as he dipped her and it made him feel good. When he had to sing again, he headed back up to the stage and finished serenading her from there.

When he was done, the room exploded into a frenzy of massive cheers and applause. Jesse took a bow before heading back to Quinn. He noticed some of his friends from VA in the corner and started to get nervous. They all looked pretty pissed.

They had to have seen him sing to Quinn. Not that it mattered, he wasn't a part of Vocal Adrenaline anymore. He was free to be out with whomever he wanted.

"Want to get out of here?" he asked her as some tone deaf guy started singing Wonderwall by Oasis.

"Not yet, I'm actually up next." She said before cheering for tone deaf guy.

"What made you change your mind?" he asked puzzled.

"I'm not sure." She shrugged. "Maybe it was that couple next to us that told me I had a wonderful voice. So did you ever bring Rachel here?"

"No." he shook his head hating how much her named seemed to be mentioned.

"Really?" she seemed surprised by that information. "This seems like something she would be into."

"Well I was living with my uncle while we dated so we never really came to Carmel that often." He did his best not to let hearing her name irk him.

"My turn." She said giddily jumping up.

He had no idea what had come over her but he was thankful that previous was done. If he got up to sing again, they were definitely leaving.

"This song goes out to Jesse St. James who made me think of it with his inspiring words." She said into the mic and the spotlight swung around to focus on him. Some people clapped for him but most people were waiting for Quinn to start singing.

"_I never loved nobody fully, always one foot on the ground, and by protecting my heart truly, I got lost in the sound I hear in my mind all these voices, I hear in my mind all these words, I hear in my mind all this music and it breaks my heart, it breaks my heart." _

He was just thinking that Quinn sounded good singing Regina Spektor, that it suited her voice when he heard someone walk up behind him. "We weren't expecting to see you here." Andrea said sitting down at the table next to him.

"I didn't know you would be here either." He said doing his best to keep his tone friendly.

"And what exactly are you doing here with her?" Andrea asked, her eyes flicking towards the stage.

"Have you officially developed a taste for McKinley meat?" John asked.

"I hardly think I need to explain myself to you guys." Jesse said doing his best to keep his focus on Quinn.

"Or is it just that you're so desperate to have that loser girlfriend back that you'll sleep with the closest thing you can get?" Andrea spat out hatefully.

"You know what?" Jesse said standing with as much dignity as he could. "What I do with my time is none of your business. I'm not a member of Vocal Adrenaline anymore and that means I don't owe you a fucking thing."

Andrea was about to respond when everyone started clapping. Jesse turned towards the stage and noticed it was because Quinn was done singing. She seemed unsure of what to do and was looking at him for help. He walked onto the stage, took her hand and led her out of the building.

"Where are we going now?" she asked once they were in his car.

"Anywhere. Just some place else." He answered simply, still steaming from being attacked by his so called friends as he put the car in drive and zoomed off.

"Are you ok?" she asked looking somewhat frightened. He looked down at the speedometer and realized he was going 80 in a 35. Before he got in an accident, he slowed down and pulled the car over.

He took several deep breaths and tried to think about anything other than what his friends had said. It was like their voices were echoing through his head and would never stop.

Then all of a sudden there was silence when he felt something. It wasn't much, just fingertips brushing his as Quinn's hand clasped his own. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the quiet. And when he opened them, she was watching him, a small smile playing on her lips.

"I liked your song." He said being genuine.

"I liked yours too."

"So is our date over?"

She thought about it for a minute. "It doesn't have to be. I'm not in a rush to get home."

"Neither am I." he agreed, thinking of his empty house.

"Well then…" she said leaving the decision up to him.

"Let's go." He said putting the car in drive.


	7. Chapter 7

{Please review, I'd like to know if people are enjoying this story!}

It seemed that Quinn spent 85% of her time with Jesse. She didn't plan to spend most of her summer with him, it just sort of happened. Whenever she was feeling bored, lonely or just didn't want to be home, she would drive to Carmel and find Jesse either at his house of Shelby's.

He had been taking her through his collection of movie musical. Every time they couldn't think of anything to do, she would go through his DVD collection and pick one out. She was shocked to find that she didn't hate them as much as she expected.

She cried during Rent, laughed through On the Town and Kiss me Kate and enjoyed The Rocky Horror Picture Show, West Side Story and My Fair Lady. But her absolute favorites were the Fred and Ginger movies. Even though the plots didn't differ much, the dancing was always spectacular and they were so much fun.

They were sitting together on Jesse's couch watching Top Hat. He had his arm around her and she knew she should say something about it but didn't want to. And she knew it would only get worse from there. He'd gotten into this bad habit of kissing her good night and she'd gotten into this bad habit of letting him. She was also guilty of kissing him back.

What had happened to her? She was always in control, well except that one time with Puck and look where that had gotten her. There was just something about Jesse, he made it seem like the most natural thing in the world. She never kissed him and thought "I shouldn't be doing this" although those feelings would set in later when she was home and reflect back on it. But it never occurred to her when they were actually kissing. In fact now it would be weird if he didn't kiss her.

The only problem was it could lead to kissing other times. She spent a fair amount of time thinking about kissing him. Sometimes when they were together she would catch herself staring at his lips. All she could do was hope he hadn't noticed.

"Do you want something?" Jesse whispered.

Quinn looked over at him and started to panic. Did he know she had been thinking of kissing him?

"Something to drink? Maybe some popcorn?" he clarified when she didn't answer.

"Sure, sounds good." She said relieved.

"Be right back." He said gently removing his arm from around her and standing.

She covered her face with her hands and took a few breaths before running her fingers through her hair. She could hear the microwave going and wondered if she should bolt before the popcorn was done. It would be easy enough and then she would just have to avoid him until he left for college.

The only problem was the thought of going back to how her summer was before Jesse made her nauseous. Those parties were so dull and standing around drinking all night with people she didn't even really like was not her idea of fun. It wasn't like Mercedes was likely to call after the other night. So what were her options? Split her time between her mom and the gym?

And it wasn't as if she was only hanging out with Jesse because she had no other options. She was surprised to find she actually enjoyed his company. If only she could keep things from getting physical then she would be fine. Why couldn't things just stay the way they were?

They shouldn't have kissed. Kissing opened the door to everything else. It was hard to stay friends after you'd kissed each other. Now if she could just get her mind on something else, she would be all set.

"Here we go." Jesse said bringing a giant bowl of popcorn and two diet sodas.

"Thank you." She said taking one of the sodas and opening it.

She did her best to focus on the screen but her hand kept touching his as they both reached for popcorn. It happened over and over again to the point where she thought he was probably doing it on purpose. She considered asking him to stop but that seemed so bitchy. After all, how did she know it wasn't just a coincidence?

The only reason she was panicking was because she didn't want to lose control again. But so what if he was touching his hand against hers? It wasn't like he had tried to get in her pants…yet. All they'd done was innocent PG rated stuff. There were Disney princesses that had gone farther than she had.

"Do you want something stronger?" he asked breaking the silence.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked intrigued.

"My parents have a pretty extensive liquor cabinet."

"They won't mind?"

"By the time they notice I'll be at school." He reasoned.

"Alright then." She said and instantly regretted it. Who knew what would happen is she lost her inhibitions? If there was one thing she knew about herself, it was that she did not make good decisions when drunk. What if she drank too much and ended up sleeping with him? They were already touching and kissing. She could imagine exactly what would happen if she let her guard down.

Jesse came back with a bottle of Black Velvet and two shot gladded. She stared at the large bottle of brown liquid and wondered if she was up for it. The best thing to do was to be straightforward with him.

"I'm not having sex with you tonight." She informed him.

"Ok…" he answered looking slightly puzzled.

"It's not a comment about you. I'm just not having sex with anyone right now."

"Why are you telling me all this?" he asked looking at her like she was slightly crazy.

"In case you were hoping that was were the evening would take us."

"Quinn, I'm not trying to get you drunk so I can take advantage of you. I'm not that kind of guy and I'm not that desperate." He said grinning bemusedly.

"Good." She said sighing in relief.

Quinn had never been so drunk before. She was lying on the floor and felt like she couldn't move even if she wanted to. If felt like her brain was swimming in alcohol and she couldn't stop giggling. Jesse was lying with his head on her stomach. She kept running her fingers through his hair loving how soft it was.

"Do you want to go swimming?" he asked interrupting her giggling.

"Yes!" she said as if it was the best idea she'd ever heard.

He got up using the couch for support and then grabbed her hands and lifted her to her feet. It happened so fast she got a head rush and lost her balance. Luckily he caught her while she fell into another fit of giggles and rested her head on his shoulder.

He took her hand in his, put his other hand on her waist and began to slow dance with her, just like Fred and Ginger. They danced around the living room until they both were so dizzy they had to stop.

"What happened to swimming?" she asked even though she was enjoying just standing there with his arms around her.

"Let's go." He said dropping everything but her hand and leading her through the house to the back porch.

The pool looked beautiful in the moonlight, so inviting. Quinn instantly started to undress until she was down to her bra and panties. She looked over at Jesse who was doing the same until he was just in his boxers.

She stared at his body for a moment and then had to look away. She could feel her face getting flushed. His muscles were toned and well defined and his arms were muscular but not too big.

It made her feel self-conscious. Did she look fat? She hadn't been going to the gym as often and she hoped it didn't show. The best thing to do would be to get in the water as soon as possible so he wouldn't see how bad she looked.

She dove in and felt the water rushing past her as she resurfaced. The water was so nice, it was exactly what she needed. She went underwater again and stayed under as long as she could.

Jesse was doing a few laps so she floated on her back and stared up at the stars. While lost in them, he came over and tickled her sides.

"Hey!" she yelled standing and splashing water at him as he moved away.

"Sorry." He replied laughing.

"You think this is funny?" she asked putting her hands on her hips in annoyance.

"Definitely."

"Oh really?" she asked slowly moving towards him.

"Really." He nodded.

He took off swimming and she did her best to chase him. It wasn't long before he gave up and started to chase her. She swam with all her might towards the stairs, feeling a rush go through her and she had almost made it when he cornered her.

"Got you." He said triumphantly. She was up against the wall with his hands on either side blocking her in.

She put her hands on his chest and tried to push him away but he wouldn't budge. In fact he smirked at her sorry attempt to get free. "So now what?" she asked in exasperation.

"Now you have to earn your freedom." He said grinning impishly.

"How?"

"Kiss me." He commanded but it sounded more like a request.

She looked at him for moment and wondered if it was the best idea especially when she was drunk. She also didn't appreciate being ordered around. But his face told her he was being playful, it's not like he wouldn't let her go if she really asked.

The only problem was she wanted to kiss him. She wanted it badly. Her hands were still on his chest and she could feel his muscles and they were perfect. So instead of fighting it, she leaned in and kissed him.

It wasn't long before her hands were wrapped around him and he had moved closer so their bodies were pressed together. His lips moved down to her neck and her whole body seemed to heat up in an instant. Her head tilted upwards "Oh God." She sighed with pleasure.

"We should stop before things go too far." She said getting her head back.

"You're right." He said removing his lips from her skin. He gently tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and as he did his thumb gently caressed her cheek. "You're so gorgeous." He said staring at her, the intensity of it overwhelming her to the point that she had to look away.

"I should go." She said heading for the stairs.

"Did I say something wrong?" she asked concerned.

"No, in fact you've done everything right. It's just that I don't trust myself around you."

"Why don't you trust me then?" he asked pulling himself out of the pool. "I'll keep things tame."

"That's sweet but it's late and tonight was so great. I just don't want to wake up with any regrets."

"I still don't want you driving home. You've had a lot to drink." He reasoned.

"Fine." She agreed since she was having trouble standing.

"Come on." He said slipping his arm around her and together they went inside.

A few moments later Quinn was standing in his bathroom with some clothes he had given her to sleep in. After wrapping her hair up in a towel she peeled off her wet underwear and quickly dried herself off before putting his clothes on.

She wondered if she should insist on sleeping on the couch or something. Maybe they had a guest bedroom or something. But Jesse had agreed nothing would happen. She had to trust him on that or she would never trust him with anything else.

Undoing the towel from her hair, she ran her fingers through it a few times and then looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't look too bad, she thought, although she was a little uncomfortable without a bra now that her boobs were bigger from the pregnancy. But she couldn't worry about that. Instead she left the bathroom and found her way into Jesse's room.

His bed was definitely big enough for the two of them so there were no worries there. He was already in bed facing the away from her. She assumed it was to help make her more comfortable. When she got into the bed, she felt him move further away to give her room. She found that it annoyed her. What was the point of sleeping in his bed if he was going to retreat into himself?

She moved over to him, grabbed his arm that was furthest away and pulled it so he had to roll over and then she placed it around her. She laced her fingers through his and enjoyed the feeling of his body against hers. He put his cheek so it was touching hers and she closed her eyes to savor the feeling. And she was still in his embrace when she drifted off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

WARNING: Sexual Content

Jesse awoke, with Quinn still in his arms, to the sound of his phone ringing. He started to disentangle himself from her, doing his best not to wake her up. But as he reached over to for his phone, he noticed her eyes flicker and then open. She rolled over to face him.

"Good morning." She said smiling at him.

"Morning." He said before grabbing his phone and answering it. "Hello?"

"Jesse, this is Shelby. I'm sorry to call so early but I have a meeting that I completely forgot about. Is there any way you could babysit for a few hours? I'm really sorry to do this to you."

"Babysitting?" he asked looking unsure at Quinn. She bit her lip, thinking it over for a moment before nodding. "Sure we can babysit."

"We?' Shelby asked confused.

"Oh." He said wishing he didn't have to say this next part. "Quinn is with me."

"Oh…" Shelby said not knowing what to do with that information. "It's fine. Just get here as fast as you can."

"We'll be there in a minute." He told her before hanging.

"You didn't have to tell her I was here. It's obvious she got the wrong idea." Quinn said stretching her arms over her head and he couldn't help but glance at her breasts.

He was getting into dangerous territory with Quinn. As much as he'd like to pretend his only interest in her was of a sexual nature, it was rapidly becoming more than that. He was starting to really like her. So much that he hadn't thought of Rachel in weeks. Now his thoughts always seemed to be on Quinn.

"I don't care what she thinks." He replied moving closer and gently kissing her.

"Of course you do." She answered pulling away. "And you shouldn't kiss me, I'm sure my breath is horrible."

"I don't mind." He said kissing her again.

"Maybe you just shouldn't kiss me…at all." She said putting her arms up as a barrier between them.

"Why? What's wrong?" he asked worried as he sat up in the bed.

"I just don't want you to get the wrong impression." She said doing the same.

"And what impression is that?" he asked.

"That we're the type of people who should be kissing each other."

"So we should stop kissing then?" he asked gently stroking her cheek. He leaned ever so slightly towards her and waited. She stared into his eyes for a moment and then leaned in to close the gap.

"We have to go." He said after a few moments. "Shelby's waiting for us."

"Right." She got out of the bed and headed towards the bathroom.

He quickly got dressed, ran a comb through his hair and sprayed himself with cologne.

"Attempting to smell good for Beth?" Quinn asked resting against his bedroom doorframe, a bemused smile playing on her lips.

"Well considering there was no time to shower…"

"I was joking, you don't have to explain."

"Let's go." He said following her out of his room.

A short car ride later and they were at Shelby's She hardly said two words to them before she rushed out the door. Jesse quickly went to check on Beth and found her asleep in her crib.

When he returned to the living room, he found Quinn standing near the window, gazing outside. He walked over and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist he pulled her closer to him.

Every time he was near her he had this overwhelming need to touch her. He wanted her so bad, all of her. He tried to convince himself that it was just a rebound but it felt like so much more. He wasn't sure if he even knew what love was but he felt it had to be something close to what he felt for her.

A part of him hated that he felt that way. He didn't want to be in love with anybody. The plan had been to leave for college with no strings. Whatever was happening with Quinn was the opposite of what he was sure he should be doing. If he were smart he would stop seeing her. He wanted to be smart but it was impossible to tell her goodbye.

He reached up and gently brushed her hair off her shoulder and kissed the exposed flesh.

"Don't." she said barely above a whisper.

"You know I'm getting a lot of mixed signals from you." He pointed out between kisses.

"I know." She sighed, half out of exasperation and half pleasure.

He ignored her request as his hands ascended up to her breasts. Her body melted against his. "Oh God." She breathed, leaning her head back so it rested on his shoulder.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked not wanting to push her into anything.

"No." she said turning around to face him. "I don't want you to stop."

She put her hands on either side of his face and brought his lips to hers. Walking him backwards, she stopped when they reached the couch. Gently she pressed on his shoulders until he sat. In amazement, he watched as she moved on top of him, straddling him. Beginning to kiss again, he did his best to keep himself in check.

They were still kissing when Beth began crying. "I'll go." She volunteered, gingerly getting off him and heading to the nursery.

While he sat there waiting for her to return, someone started pounding on the door. He considered not answering it since he wasn't expecting anyone until he thought it over. It could be Shelby who forgot her keys. So reluctantly he got off the couch and answered the door.

It wasn't Shelby. Instead Jesse stood opposite a very pissed off looking Puck. Before saying anything a million questions ran through his mind. How had Puck heard about Jesse and Quinn? What was he planning to do? From the look on his face, he planned to hurt Jesse.

"Look Asshole, I just came over to tell you to stop watching Beth. I don't want some dick like you influencing my kid." Puck said, his hands clenched into fists.

"Oh." Jesse replied processing. So Puck had no idea about Quinn. He just didn't like Jesse watching Beth. "Right. Well it's not your child anymore, it's Shelby's and I'll continue to babysit as long as she needs me."

Jesse was aware a statement like that was enough to light Puck's very short fuse. He figured a punch was coming soon.

"You—" Puck stopped short because Quinn had just walked into the room.

"Puck." She said quietly, obviously as surprised to see him as Jesse was.

"What is this?" Puck asked getting even more worked up. "Why are you here with this douchebag?"

"It's not what you think." She answered, attempting to calm him down.

"Is this why you've been blowing me off all summer? You're too busy playing house with this sack of shit?"

"Nothing's going on. We're just babysitting."

"Really? That's why this fucker has a semi? How far away was he from plowing into you?"

"Puck!" she yelled angrily. "You have no idea what's been going on here. And even if I wasn't here with Jesse, I wouldn't be with you."

"How can you look at this bastard after what he did?"

"That's none of your concern. You have no right to be jealous. We're not together and we never will be."

"How can you say that? We had a baby together."

"And ever since then you've had this idea in your thick skill that you have some sort of claim over me. You don't own me Noah Puckerman and no man ever will."

Jesse stood there feeling very awkward. This felt like a conversation he should not be present for. He wished he could just quietly sneak off to the kitchen, unfortunately he didn't think that was going to happen. Although he couldn't help getting a deeper admiration for Quinn and her strength.

"You should leave." Quinn said after a moment of silence.

Puck turned to leave but stopped in front of Jesse. He was considering putting his hand out to shake Puck's to show there were no hard feelings but assumed it wouldn't go over well. Just as he thought it was a bad idea, Puck's fist flew up and punched Jesse in the eye.

Puck fixed his jacket before heading out and slammed the door behind him. Jesse waited to hear his car start and pull away before attempting to get up off the floor with some resemblance of grace. Quinn rushed over and helped him up.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"I'm fine." He said trying to ignore the throbbing pain.

"You should sit down." She said helping him to the couch.

Jesse lied down and stayed there until Shelby came home half an hour later. She asked what had happened and Quinn gave a vague explanation. He was led out of the house with his arm around her and she helped him into the passenger seat. He put his seat back and relaxed while Quinn drove him home.

'He shouldn't have hit you." She said gently placing an ice pack on his swollen eye.

"I can see why he did though. I mean it's obvious he's in love with you."

"He's not in love with me. There are a lot of different sides to Puck. I've seen him be really sweet. Unfortunately he chooses to act like a selfish asshole who can't think about anything other than getting laid most of the time."

"Still, after everything I've done, seeing you with me had to be hard for him."

"Yeah but you and I aren't together like that. If he had just let me explain before he went all crazy this wouldn't have happened."

"We're not together?" he asked confused.

"Of course not."

"Then why are we together all the time? We went out to dinner, you spent the night in my arms, not to mention all the times we've kissed. If we're not together what are we?" he asked needing an explanation.

"We're just…" she trailed off unsure how to finish that sentence.

"You say friends and I'll have to kill myself." He said dramatically.

"Fine. I don't know what we are. All I know is I like spending time with you. You make me feel safe yet you're so unpredictable that I'm never bored." She confessed.

"I think you like me." He said grinning

"I do. It's just really complicated even more so now that Puck knows we've been spending time together." She said rationally.

"I'm sorry. I'm still stuck on the part about you liking me." He said when she was looking at him for a response. He stared at her with his one good eye and wondered if it was the appropriate time to kiss her.

"Well I wouldn't dwell on it too much." She said smiling coyly. "How is your eye feeling?"

"Better. The throbbing is going down." He answered honestly.

"That's good. Let me look." She said removing the ice pack. "You'll definitely have a black eye."

"Maybe I'll still have it when I go to college and I'll walk in looking like a badass." He pictured people's reactions when he walked into school with a shiner.

"Girls love that kind of thing." She laughed.

"Do you?" he asked seriously.

"Definitely." She nodded. "Total turn on."

They looked at each other for a moment, all playfulness gone. He was about to say something to try and get it back when Quinn leaned over and kissed his swollen eye. When she pulled away she looked like she had no idea what to do next.

He took the initiative and kissed her then pulled away to gauge her reaction. He did his best to search her eyes for uncertainty but saw none. Instead she leaned back in and kissed him again.

Without a word she lied down on the bed and pulled him to her. He kissed her over and over, his tongue finding hers as they deepened the kiss. His hand slowly made it's way up her shirt, seeing how far she would let him go. She responded a few moments later by pulling away. He quickly got off her and stood by the side of the bed, waiting to see what would happen next.

Would she leave? Would she tell him they were only going to kiss? If she said it had all been a mistake he might actually consider killing himself.

She slid across the bed and sat in front of him. She pulled his face down to hers and they kissed again. He wanted to ask her just how far they were going to go so he didn't fuck up again but the last thing he wanted to do was ruin the mood. Her lips moved down to his neck and to his surprise she started unbuttoning his shirt, her lips trailing down to kiss his skin as it got exposed.

Once his shirt was completely unbuttoned, she slid it off and quickly unzipped his pants, letting them drop to the floor. He watched her in amazement as her hand descended down and began to stroke his cock. A soft moan escaped from his lip and she smiled.

She lied back down on the bed and waited. Slowly he crawled to her, lifting her shirt until it was over her head before dropping it to the floor. He told her to sit up and she obeyed. His lips traced along her neckline as his fingers got to work on her bra. The small smile she gave him as she slipped it off drove him crazy.

He stood and walked to the edge of the bed while she unzipped her pants. Gently he tugged them down followed by her underwear. Taking a moment to admire her naked body on his bed, he couldn't believe this was happening. He was expecting any moment to wake up. He watched her scoot up on the bed so she was propped up by her elbows.

Her legs were closed and she was biting her lip as if she was considering if she should let things go any further. But the way she bit her lip and was being withholding was so sexy it made him harder.

He got onto the bed and lied on top of her, kissing her passionately he then moved his lips down her body until he reached between her legs. He put his hands on her knees and looked at her for approval, which she gave with a small nod. He spread them apart and gently bit her inner thigh before going down on her.

"Holy shit." She cried running her fingers through his hair and arching her back.

He concentrated on making her orgasm but before he could she tugged on his hair and pulled him out of her. "What is it?" he asked.

"I want it." She said glancing down at his cock. "I want you. I want you so bad." She begged.

Wanting to be obliging, he took off his boxers and reached into his bedside dresser to get a condom. She took it from him, opened it and put it on him. The fact that she did was hot as hell to him. He would have to ask her how she was so good at it later.

Knowing it was only her second time, he decided to take it easy on her. He got on top, formed his mouth around hers and entered her halfway.

"Put it all the way in." she pleaded with a whimper and he did as she asked. He spread her legs wider so he could enter her deeper. It wasn't long before he found his rhythm and thrust into her with everything he had. Her body shivered with pleasure as she grabbed his hair and brought his face to her chest. He wasted no time sucking, nibbling and kissing her perfect breasts.

She started meeting his thrusts with her own and before long they each glistened with sweat. Their breathing got heavier as he started moving faster inside her. She trailed her fingers up his back and used his momentum to roll them both over so she was on top.

"Impressive." He said with a smirk.

"Don't forget I was a cheerleader." She smiled back, rolling her hips, moving up and down finding their rhythm again.

His hands moved up her body, through her hair until he reached the back of her head. Roughly, he brought her face down to his and kissed her. Using the opportunity, he flipped her over so he was back on top.

"Is this a competition?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"If it is I'm winning." He said grabbing her wrists and holding them over her head to pin her down. He was going to end it on top. As he sped up, she wrapped her legs around him and they locked eyes feeling the intensity of their friction. He watched her dig her nails into a pillow as she began to scream in ecstasy. "I forfeit!"

"Quinn." He cried out, burying his face in her neck as together they climaxed.

He collapsed next to her in exhaustion. She moved closer to him, reached down and pulled off the condom before throwing it in the trash. He put an arm around her and brought her even closer to him. Before long she closed her eyes, her head resting on his chest.

"Next time I won't give up so easy." She whispered, gently kissing his chest.

He smiled to himself but did respond. They lied there together, their legs tangled up in each other. Listening to her breathing, he stroked her long beautiful hair and couldn't help being overjoyed that there would be a next time. And with that thought in his head he fell asleep with the most gorgeous girl he'd ever seen resting in his arms.


	9. Chapter 9

Quinn awoke once again in Jesse's arms but it felt different, she felt different. Even though a part of her was freaking out and was regretting sleeping with him, a part of her, a larger part, was glad she had. It was very stupid of her to get involved with him. She well aware that not only was he leaving at the end of the summer, he was most likely still in love with someone else.

But the only thing she could think of was how happy she was at the moment. The feeling of his arms around her made her feel safe and the way he looked at her made her feel beautiful.

She had no idea what she was doing or thinking when it came to him. She never would have had sex with Finn so soon. And she and Jesse weren't even really dating. Sometimes it felt like they were but it wasn't like she would call him her boyfriend. She had no idea what they were to each other.

As she lied in his arms in a state of bliss, she couldn't help wondering what this meant for them. If it was true that she had never been in love before then she had no idea what she was doing. How did somebody go about being in love and was she ready for that? Was she prepared to be in love with Jesse St. James of all people?

Quinn slid out of his grasp and went to the bathroom. She put some toothpaste on her finger and attempted to brush her teeth. When she was done, she returned to the bed and began kissing hi as a means to wake him.

"Hmm." He said, his eyes slowly fluttering open.

"Good morning." She said before kissing him again.

"You taste all minty." He commented.

"I just brushed my teeth." She informed him.

"That's probably a good idea." He wiped his eyes a few time before rolling out of bed. She admired his naked form glide across the room and was surprised to find she didn't blush.

While he was in the bathroom, she began looking around his room. She'd been in there countless times but she'd never bothered to actually look around at his stuff. She glanced through his extensive CD collection before sitting down at his desk. There were some pictures on it, mostly of him with his friends from Vocal Adrenaline. There was only one of him with his parents. His dad looked a lot like him, the same curly hair and a similar face. His mom was a tall, thin woman with harsh features but the same smirk Jesse so often wore.

Quinn put the picture back in its place and gazed at Jesse's friends and family. Would she ever make it onto his row of photos? If Rachel hadn't she suspected she wouldn't either.

She opened the top desk drawer and found Rachel, or at least her school picture. She assumed Rachel had given it to Jesse when they were dating. The fact that he'd kept it meant he probably wasn't over her. The realization of that hurt her more than she wanted to admit.

Attached to the photo was a folded piece of paper. She hesitated before opening it, not wanting to invade his privacy. But her curiosity won out and she unfolded it as quietly as possible. She stopped for a moment to hear if he was coming back. Instead she heard the shower turn on.

Flattening the paper, she began to read, her eyes growing wider with each word. It was a letter to Rachel explaining everything. He went through every detail, why he started dating her, Shelby's request, why he went back to VA. Everyone's perception of him was so wrong. He wasn't some asshole spy who had dumped Rachel just to fuck with her before Regionals. If she hadn't already known he loved Rachel, this note certainly conveyed that. And it broke Quinn's heart just a little bit.

She took the note and went into the bathroom. He was gently humming to himself and she couldn't help but smile. Moving the shower curtain to the side, she was met by his soap-covered body and she felt herself get just a little warmer.

Without a word, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the shower with him. She dropped the note on the ground beforehand so it didn't get wet.

"Hi." He said pressing his soapy skin against hers as he kissed her.

"Hi." She answered wondering how she was going to bring up the note. Would he be angry that she had gone through his stuff and read it? But as he continued to kiss her, it became hard to focus on anything other than the feeling of his lips.

"I have to ask you something." She said before she completely lost her thoughts.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Was last night anything like how it was with Rachel?"

"What?" he looked puzzled.

"When you two had sex." She clarified.

"We never had sex."

"But she told everyone you did." It was Quinn's turn to be baffled.

"That's weird." He said shrugging it off and going back to kissing her, his lips moving down to her neck.

"How mad do you think Rachel would be if she knew we were together?" she asked trying again.

"She probably wouldn't care." He said unconcerned. "I don't care that she's with Finn. The only reason I would want her to know is so that she's aware that I've moved on."

"So all your feelings for her are gone?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Basically." He said pulling her under the water so they both got the soap rinsed off. "What's up?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why all the sudden talk about Rachel?"

She took a deep breath and prepared for him to get angry at her. "I found the note you wrote her."

"What letter?" he asked confused again.

"It's a letter you wrote explaining everything."

"Oh that. I wrote that a long time ago." He said turning off the water and stepping out of the shower. He seemed so aloof as he wrapped a towel around his waist.

"Why didn't you send it to her?" she asked grabbing a towel for herself.

"Because it didn't matter."

"How could it not matter that Rachel's mom orchestrated the whole thing?" she asked staring at him in amazement.

"Shelby didn't force me into anything, I went willingly."

"Still—"

"—And no one forced me to throw that egg. Even if I could explain everything else, I have no excuse for that."

"She deserves to know the truth. She might even forgive you. How could you not want that?" she asked following him into his room.

"I don't care about getting her forgiveness." He said sitting down on his bed.

"But…you love her." She said sitting next to him.

"Not anymore."

"What changed?"

"I fell in love with you." He took her hand in his.

"Don't say that." She said pulling her hand away.

"Why? It's true."

"No it's not." She argued standing up in frustration.

"I love you." He said standing, his eyes staring into hers.

"It's not true. This isn't love, this is two sad and lonely people attempting to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. This isn't…real."

"It felt pretty real last night." He interjected.

"It's two people clinging to each other because they have no one else."

"It may have started out that way but things are different now."

"That still doesn't mean you love me."

"How would you know?" he asked angrily. "You've never been in love. How do you know with such certainty that this isn't it?"

"Because I can't be in love with you!" she yelled feeling close to tears.

"Why?" he said gently moving towards her but she put her hands out to block him.

"You're leaving soon and it'll be hard enough to say goodbye as it is. It'll be ten time worse if I know I'm in love with you." She did her best to explain.

"You can't just decide to not love someone."

"You can if loving them is going to hurt you." She said convinced. It was one thing to like someone who was into someone else. Now that he reciprocated her feelings there was a chance it could turn into something more. She couldn't let that happen.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

"Not intentionally. What do you think is going to happen to me when you leave for college? You'll be off in LA and probably forget about me in a week. But I'll be stuck here at McKinley with all the reminders of the last terrible year and my summer with you."

"If you think anyone could forget you, you're crazy."

"Stop being nice, stop being sweet and most of all stop trying to get me to love you." She said trying to keep her resolve up.

"I'm sorry. What do you want from me? Do you want me to act like a jerk? Pelt you with eggs? Tell me what you want."

"I want to stop feeling this way." She said, tears forming in her eyes.

Jesse rushed forward and held her in his embrace.

"Make it stop." She begged, weeping into his chest. "Just let me leave and never call me again. I don't want to be in love."

"Just let me—"

"No." she said breaking free from his embrace. She grabbed her clothes and headed as quickly as possible towards the door. Pulling off the towel, she got dressed while moving towards the exit. She could hear Jesse's footsteps following her but she ignored it.

"Will you hold on for one second?" he asked grabbing her arm.

She wrenched her arm away and continued without a word. She couldn't let him talk too much or he might suck her back in. He continued to follow her while she finished getting dressed.

"Stop." He said blocking the door. "Will you stop?"

"Please." She said unable to look at him. Slowly she forced her eyes to stop staring at the floor and meet his gaze. "Just let me go."

"I don't understand why you're doing this." He said reaching for her but she backed away.

"Self-preservation." She answered simply.

"Fine." He replied giving up. He moved away from the door and she opened it before he could change his mind. Outside it was pouring rain.

Grabbing her keys from her pocket, she sprinted to her car and unlocked it. Climbing in, she allowed herself one last look at him. The only problem was he had already shut the door. It was probably for the best but it didn't stop her from breaking down crying.

She rested her head against the steering wheel and let the sadness wash over her. Every time she thought the tears would stop, more would rush out. Attempting to leave, she put the car in drive but gave up after going one block. The thought of driving away and never seeing him again was too much to handle.

She had to be strong for both of their sakes. Leaving was the best thing she could do before they got in even deeper. Any time they spent together would only end up hurting them more.

Just as she was beginning to calm down enough to drive, her passenger door opened and a soaking wet Jesse St. James got in. He gave her a small, uncertain smile before saying anything.

"What are you—"

"Tell me to stay." He interrupted her.

"What?" she asked thinking she must have misheard him.

"Ask me to stay and I'll stay."

"But college, UCLA. You can't give that all up. You're not that crazy."

"Why not? I could go to a college nearby. I could take over coaching Vocal Adrenaline. I can do anything except lose you."

"Stop it." She said rolling her eyes.

"It's true." He said with conviction. "Tell me to stay."

"I…" she bit her lip wondering what to say. Could she take that away from him? Could she be that selfish? If past events had proven anything, it was that she could. She was so ready to have Finn father a child that wasn't even his and ruin his future. But what future did Finn really have? Jesse however had a spot at a good college waiting for him. All she had to do was tell him to stay and it would be gone. "I can't. I can't jeopardize your entire future for this. It feels like love but who knows if it will stay that way. But UCLA, your future, that's certain. I don't want you to take that big of a chance on me. People dream of leaving this place, I can't deprive you of your ticket out of here. I'm not worth it."

He sat there for a moment, not saying anything. To Quinn it seemed like an eternity passed while she waited to see what he would say. In response, he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. It was a kiss full of frustration and sadness.

His eyes widened when she began to remove her clothes. He followed her lead and before long their clothes were in a pile in the back seat. Quinn climbed on top of him and reached down to put his seat all the way back. They found a condom in his pants pocket, which she put on before lowering herself onto him, feeling him pulsate inside of her

As she writhed on top of him, their hands explored each other's bodies, memorizing each other. Their lips stayed pressed together almost the entire time. The windows began to fog up and Quinn felt like her whole body was on fire.

Unlike the first time, which was slow and full of wanting, this time was full of urgency and need, a hunger for each other. And as they came calling out each other's names, her just slightly before him, she couldn't stop a few tears from falling. He tenderly brushed them away. Leaning down, she kissed him again how many times she would get to.

"I don't want this to be goodbye." He said holding her to him, gently rubbing her back.

"Neither do I." she confessed.

"You don't?"

"I'm not ready for a world without Jesse St. James." She said smiling at him. "I'm not ready to stop kissing you. It's probably the dumbest thing I've ever done but I'm not ready to lost you."

"It's good to be a little dumb sometimes."

"Exactly." She said laughing.

"I think I love you." He said kissing her deeply.

"I think I might love you too." She said and tried not to let that fact scare her.

Quinn arrived home later that night wondering what she was going to tell her mom. She'd been gone for three days and hadn't bothered to call or check in. She was expecting her mom to be pissed and she had no explanation. What could she possibly say about where she'd been?

But as she walked into her living room it wasn't her mother that greeted her. It was Mercedes, Tina and Rachel. They were sitting together on the couch and all stood when Quinn walked in.

"What are you doing here?" she asked them confused by their presence.

"Girl are you out of your mind?" Mercedes asked ignoring Quinn's question.

"We know you've been seeing Jesse." Rachel said accusingly.

"Who told you that?" Quinn asked feigning innocence.

"Puck." Tina chimed in. "He told us he saw you two together."

"Did he also tell you how he punched Jesse in the face for no reason?" Quinn responded defensively.

"So it's true." Mercedes concluded.

"Good." Rachel said. "He deserves to get hit."

"Why? Because he broke up with you?" Quinn challenged.

"No because he and his cohorts threw eggs at me. Or have you forgotten that fact?"

"So what? Puck used to slushie you almost every day. You didn't have a problem dating him."

"That's different." Rachel argued.

"How?"

"Puck didn't know me when he did those terrible things. I told Jesse everything and he betrayed me."

"How is this any of your business?" Quinn asked changing the subject.

"We're your friends." Tina said gently.

"She's not my friend." Quinn said pointing at Rachel.

"It's my business because you're dating my ex-boyfriend."

"So? You're dating my ex-boyfriend but you don't see me putting me nose in your business." She countered, thinking this was bizarrely like an intervention.

"Quinn, we're just trying to help." Mercedes said before things escalated. "Jesse is bad news."

"You don't know what he's like."

"We've seen what he can do." Tina pointed out.

"Look what Jesse and I have is very different from what he had with Rachel. None of you know what really happened, what he was going through."

"We were all there." Mercedes replied.

"I don't have to take this crap from any of you. You come into my house and plan an ambush as if any of you get a say in who I date." She said indignantly.

"We're just looking out for you."

"Well don't. My love life is none of your concern."

"Fine." Rachel said as they all turned to leave. Rachel turned back around at the doorway to add, "But don't expect any of us to be there when he breaks your heart. And trust me, he will break your heart."

"You don't know that." Quinn answered as Rachel left. "You don't know that." She repeated more quietly, this time trying to convince herself.

She forlornly walked up to her room and collapsed onto her bed, the pervious conversation having drained any energy she had left. She pulled out her phone and found Jesse's number.

_Don't break my heart- Q _

She lied there staring at her ceiling, her phone on her stomach, waiting for him to text back. The moment it vibrated she grabbed it to see his response.

_I won't if you won't. – J _


	10. Chapter 10

Jesse sat on his bed wondering if he should call Quinn. She hadn't been over and he hadn't heard from her since the night before. He didn't want to come off too needy or desperate but their conversation last night had scared him. What if she changed her mind and didn't want to see him anymore? He really thought it might be the last time he would see her.

He grabbed his phone from his pocket and dialed her number. He was about to press send when the doorbell rang. He ran to answer it, wanting to see her face, to touch her. He wouldn't let her say anything until he kissed her for a very long time. He felt like a little kid at Christmas about to open his presents.

"Hello there gorgeous." Andrea said walking into his house without an invitation.

"What are you doing here?" he asked not hiding his disappointment.

"We're both leaving for college soon. I thought it was only right we say goodbye." She said stripping off her jacket and letting it fall to the floor.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen." He said knowing exactly what she wanted.

"Why not?" she asked walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Because I don't want to. You've got to go." He said wanting to get rid of her as soon as possible so could call Quinn.

"Come on." She said leaning into him. Her hand went towards his crotch but he reached down to stop. "After all those nasty little times we spent together don't tell me you're gun shy now."

"I just don't want to have sex with you." He said stepping away from her.

"When have you ever not wanted to have sex? There's a reason you have a bedside table full of condoms. Come on, it's the perfect way to say goodbye."

"We're not having sex." He insisted.

"Wait a second." She said looking him up and down. "Is this about that blond bitch you were with?"

"No." he shook his head.

"You're lying." She said eyeing him while she crossed her arms over her chest in irritation.

"Ok, so maybe it is about Quinn." He confessed reluctantly.

"Are you dating her or something?" she asked starring at him in disbelief.

"I'm not really sure about that." He told her honestly.

"But you're sleeping with her, right?"

"That's really none of your business." He said getting aggravated.

"Well the only reason you wouldn't want some from me would be if you were getting it from someone else." She reasoned.

"That's not the only reason I slept with you." He said indignantly.

"Really? The first time we slept together was after you'd gone through every other girl in VA. I like to pretend it was because we were friends and you respected me too much."

"I didn't want to spoil our friendship."

"And what about when you dated Rachel? That little bitch wouldn't give it up to you so the moment you got back you came crawling to me. You couldn't wait to be between my thighs."

"You make it sound so vulgar." He said in disgust.

"Are you seeing a pattern here? You always come back to me. You're like a sexual boomerang I release into the world but in the end I'm the one holding it."

She walked forward and slipped her hand into his pants. He couldn't help the soft moan that escaped from his lips. Andrea smiled triumphantly.

"I know what you like baby." She said stroking him. "Let me give you what you like. You've had a long, stressful year and you deserve some relaxation. You need one hot, long, extraordinary fuck."

"I can't." he began to protest.

"Shh." She said before kissing him.

"Oh my God." A voice said over his shoulder.

"Quinn." He said pulling away from Andrea.

"Oh my God." She repeated before turning on her heel and leaving.

"Quinn." He called, chasing after her.

"Go away." She yelled over her shoulder.

"It's not what you think." He said wondering how he could possibly explain himself.

"Really? How many reasons are there to put your hands down someone's pants?"

"I wasn't going to sleep with her." He insisted.

"That makes me feel so much better!" she said sarcastically. "The fact that you only cheated on me to second base makes all the difference."

"You might not want to bring up the whole cheating thing unless you want to sound like a real hypocrite." He said getting defensive.

"God. How long are people going to keep throwing that in my face? I cheated on Finn, I made a mistake that I paid for. Nine months of repentance and people still can't get over that fact."

"Ok so you made a mistake so did I. It'll never happen again. Why can't you just forgive me?"

"Because you promised you wouldn't break my heard." She said, tears forming in the corner of her eye.

"Quinn, I'm so sorry." He said in earnest.

"I'm such an idiot." She said shaking her head. "They warned me. They all warned me and I didn't listen."

"Please." He begged needing her to stay. "Let me make it up to you. Let me make it right. Let me do something."

"There's nothing you can do. But you know what, you did me a favor. Now that I hate you, it'll be a lot easier not to miss you when you're gone."

"You couldn't hate me if you tried." He said with hubris.

"Watch me." She challenged, opening her car door and getting in.

He watched her drive away and then dejectedly returned to his house. Andrea was sitting on the couch waiting for him. "So…where were we?"

"Get the fuck out of my house." He said through clenched teeth.

"Fine." She said collecting her stuff. "You'll be back." She cautioned wiggling her fingers at him before shutting the door and leaving him alone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jesse had no idea what to do for the first time in his life. How could he fix it? He was wracking his brain for a solution but none came. Was there really no way to make it better?

He'd tried calling her a billion times but after a while of no answering, she turned her phone off. He got the message that she didn't want to talk to him but he didn't accept it. That's why he got in his car and started to drive towards her house. It was a long drive and he used the time rehearse what he was going to say. The only problem was finding the right words were turning out to be nearly impossible. How exactly does someone apologize for getting a hand job? All he knew was he couldn't leave with the only two girls he'd ever loved hating him.

He felt like such an idiot. He had no idea Quinn would come over let alone that she would walk in right that second, there was no excuse for what he did. He should have told Andrea to leave the moment she came to the door. He'd known what she wanted. Andrea always seemed to want sex.

He ran up to her door and began to pound on it. He felt frantic, like if he didn't fix it that night, he would lose her. Maybe he should have brought a boombox and stood outside her window. Luckily a light inside turned on and he heard someone coming to the door.

"What is it?" Judy Fabray asked answering the door.

"Is Quinn here?" Jesse asked attempting to look around Mrs. Fabray for any sign of Quinn.

"No. She's not." She replied annoyed. She's almost never home."

"Any idea where she might be?"

"Who are you?"

"My name is Jesse St. James." He said holding his hand out to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"So you're the young man my daughter has been spending so much time with." Mrs. Fabray said looking him over.

"She mentioned me?" he said glad she cared enough to tell her mom.

"In passing." She said waving it off.

"Well can you tell me where she is?" he asked hopeful.

"I'm afraid not. I hardly see her and when I do see her, she hardly says anything to me. My best guess is she's at a friend's house."

"Thank you for your help." He said even though she'd barely helped at all.

"You're Welcome.

Jesse was planning to scour the streets but had no idea where to even begin. He had no clue where any of Quinn's friends lived. He couldn't keep going down every street looking for Quinn's car, so he went with his only option. He really didn't want to but he was desperate. He didn't have any other choice.

The phone rang once and then went right to voicemail. He kept redialing knowing she would have to pick up eventually. "Go to hell." She said when she finally answered the phone before he could even get a word out. He hit redial and waited.

"Will you please stop calling me?" Rachel asked annoyed.

"Do you know where Quinn is?" he asked quickly before she hung up on him again.

"Your latest conquest." She said bitterly. "Why do you have a carton of eggs with her name on it?"

"I don't have time for this. Do you know where she is or not?" he asked in exasperation.

"You call me up out of the blue, ask me where Quinn is and then are rude to me?"

"Sorry." He grumbled. "Its just really important I find her."

"She's here at Brittany's party. She's already pretty drunk and it looks like she's getting really friendly with Puck."

"What's the address?" he asked worried.

"516 Cherrywood Lane and don't make me regret telling you that."

"I won't, thank you Rachel." He said surprised at how talking with her didn't upset him like it used to.

"Don't call me again. Next time I won't answer no matter how many times you call." She warned.

"I won't bother you again." He promised.

He hung up and used the GPS on his phone to find Cheerywood Lane. When he arrived on the street there were a bunch of cars parked on the street. Parking as close as he could get, he prepared to enter a house full of people that hated him with a passion.

He relaxed a little when he got inside. There were enough people there he figured he could get by unnoticed, although it made his task of finding Quinn that much harder. She could have been anywhere and he couldn't exactly ask where she was.

He seriously considered just turning around and leaving. He could always wait at her house until she got home. But if he wasn't man enough to do this, he didn't deserve her. And he wanted to. He wanted her to know loving him wasn't a waste of time.

He started moving around the room trying to get a glimpse of her. The only problem was he walked right into Mercedes.

"What the hell!" she yelled in annoyance.

"Sorry." He said and tried to get away as quickly as possible but there were so many people he couldn't.

"Oh it's you. You've got a lot of nerve showing up here."

"I'm looking for Quinn."

"Yeah, I guessed that."

"Have you seen her?" he asked desperately.

"I'm not telling you anything. I don't know what you did but she came over to my house this afternoon and cried for an hour and a half. Then we came here and she immediately started getting hammered. So I'm definitely not letting you anywhere near her."

"Look Mercedes, I have to talk to her."

"Haven't you been listening? She doesn't want to talk to you."

"How do you know?"

"If she wanted to talk she wouldn't be in the kitchen sucking face with Puck."

"What?" he asked, his jaw dropping.

"Damn it." She said covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh well."

Jesse ran into the kitchen and found Quinn sitting on Puck's lap, their tongues down each other's throats. The sight of them together made him want to hurl.

"Quinn." He interjected hoping to stop their make out session. Neither of them listened so he walked over and pulled off of him.

"What are you doing here?" Quinn slurred.

"What the hell man?" Puck said standing up and stumbling over.

"Quinn, you can't do this. I know you're pissed at me but I also know if you hook up with him your going to regret it."

"Just leave me alone." She said pushing him away.

"No, I can't let you do this."

"Don't pretend you know me or that you care about me."

"I'd really like to have this conversation some other time." He said quietly.

"Well I'd like to have it now."

"Fine. I know I fucked up and I'm sorry it happened. I came here to beg you to give me a second chance."

"I'm not interested."

He moved closer and whispered "I would believe that more if you hadn't told me you loved me."

"That was before." She said pulling away. She grabbed the bottle of vodka and took a few swigs. She winced at the severity of the alcohol and he did his best not to smile. She looked so cute he was finding it difficult.

The alcohol put her over the edge and he could tell she had gone from drunk to blackout. She was mumbling to herself and it sounded like gibberish. She would get stuck on a word and keep attempting to say it over and over.

"Come on." He said scooping her up into his arms to carry her. She instantly put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. He was just praying she wouldn't throw up down his shirt.

"Hey where are you taking her?" Puck asked from the floor.

"I'm taking her home." He had no idea why he was responding to some drunken idiot.

"Why you?"

"Because you're a drunken idiot and you've already shown you can't be trusted to not take advantage of her when she's in this condition." He answered.

"Fuck you." Puck replied.

"Back off." Jesse said getting out of the kitchen quickly.

"Where do you think you're going?" Finn asked stepping into Jesse's path.

"Get out of my way." Jesse replied in frustration.

"No." Finn answered crossing his arms over his chest.

"This doesn't concern you." Jesse said in frustration.

"You're carrying a practically unconscious girl out of a party. I think that concerns everybody."

"I'm taking her home." He stated the obvious.

"Here's the problem, I don't trust you."

"Finn." Rachel called out making her way through the crowd. "Just let him go."

"What?" Finn asked staring at her in disbelief. "You're going to let her just go with this creep? I mean I know you and Quinn don't exactly like each other but still…"

"I'm not about that." She shook her head.

"I'm not just going to let her be carried off by some—"

"—Finn, they're together."

"What do you mean together?" he asked dumbfounded.

"They're together like how you and I are together. They're in a relationship."

"How is that possible? They don't even know each other."

"Leave it alone Finn. Just let them go."

"But he's…"

"Finn, she's fine." Rachel cut him off.

Jesse took that as his cue to leave. He carried Quinn not of the house and was relieved when no one followed him. She was starting to wiggle, making it harder for him to hold onto her. He raced to his car, clumsily reaching into his pocket for his keys.

Placing Quinn in the passenger seat and gently pulled her seat belt around her and buckling her in. He did his best to keep his eyes on the road but he glanced over to check on her more often than he should. He really worried that she might throw up in his car It would be really unpleasant for both of them.

He raced her to his house as fast as he could. She kept trying to talk but wasn't making any sense. At least he could enjoy the fact that she wasn't yelling at him, although he assumed that part would come later. Once she woke up she would not be happy.

When he pulled in the driveway, he ran to the house and unlocked the door first. He then came back for Quinn, picking her up again and carrying her into his house.

Once inside, he found himself with a dilemma. Where was he going to put her? He didn't want her waking up on the couch but that would be the best place if she got sick. He didn't really want her throwing up in his bed or his parents bed for that matter.

He also figured that if they slept in the same bed, she would freak out in the morning. Being pissed at him, he doubled she wanted to wake up in his arms. So wherever he put her, he would have to sleep somewhere else. Yet he wanted to be close so he could check up on her.

He placed her on the couch while he went to get her a glace of water. He was still mulling over the sleeping arrangements when Quinn walked in. He set the water on the counter and went to get some aspirin for her.

"Aww, you're so sweet." She said stumbling over to him. She wrapped her arm over to him. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a sloppy kiss.

"Here." he said pushing her away but keeping his hand on her for stability. "Drink this."

"What's the matter? Don't you like me anymore?" she asked pouting her lips.

"Of course I do, I love you but that's not the point." He said rolling his eyes. "Now drink."

"You wanna know a secret?" she asked standing on her tiptoes so she could whisper in his ear. "I am so horny."

"That's no exactly a secret." He said bitterly remembering her make out session with Puck and moving away from her. He went over to the cupboard and got her a straw hoping it would make her more inclined to drink.

He couldn't help wondering how for Quinn and Puck would have gone if he hadn't shown up. Would she have slept with him? The mere idea of it made his stomach turn. At least he knew she would regret it in the morning unlike when she and him slept together.

"Come on Jesse." She said beginning to remove her clothes. "Let's have sex."

"Quinn, stop it." He said doing his best to be annoyed.

"No." she said throwing her shirt at him. He picked it up off the floor and placed it on the counter. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. She started undoing his best buckle while she sang, "I want you. I want you so bad. I want you, I want you so bad it's driving me mad, it's driving me…"

Jesse turned around and as he did she pulled his belt out. Her fingers gently felt up his chest as she stared up at him with such longing. It was almost enough to make him lose control of himself.

"You really should have some water." He said reaching for the glass.

"You really should take your pants off." She said reaching to undo them.

"Quinn." He said trying to get her off. "It's not going to happen."

She responded by grabbing his face and bringing his lips to hers. Her breath was overpowering with the smell of alcohol. She moved her body closer so it pressed against his. Even though he was doing his best to behave, he was starting to get hard, especially when she unhooked her bra, shimmied out of it and placed his hands on her bare breast.

"Will you stop?" he asked pulling away.

"You stop. Stop fighting this. I know you want me."

"I'm not going to have sex with you while your drunk."

"But I want you to." She said taking a step towards him and he took a step back. "Just fuck me. Its all you want so just fuck me."

Jesse could have sworn a light bulb turned on over his head like they do in cartoons. This was more than just being drunk and horny. Her feeling of self-worth had plummeted when he hooked up with Andrea. Being drunk, she wasn't as good at hiding her feelings. Now no matter how many times he said he loved her, she'd always believe he was just saying it to sleep with her.

"Come on." He said taking her hand.

"Where are we going?" she asked as he led her upstairs.

They went into his room and he had her lay down on the bed. Slowly he finished undressing her and then undressed himself down to his boxers. He then helped her get into one of his t-shirts and a pair of his boxers to sleep in. He placed the trash can next to the bed and went into the bathroom. He took an extra long cold shower doing his best to think about anything other than Quinn since it would be counter productive.

When he went back into his room she was asleep. He walked over to his overstuffed chair, doing his best to get comfortable in it. He got up and grabbed a blanket from his closet and tried again. It took him awhile but he finally fell asleep.

XXXXXXXXXXX

He awoke before Quinn so he snuck downstairs and started making her breakfast. He was going to do everything possible to get on her good side. Although he doubted one batch of pancakes would be enough for her to forgive him. But it was worth a shot.

He was just finishing setting the table when he heard her footsteps on the stairs. He did his best not to stare at her but she looked so hot in his shirt and boxers, no bra and her hair wild and messy. She walked wordlessly over to him and sat down at the kitchen table.

She stabbed a pancake from the stack and dropped it on her plate. Jesse slowly sat down across from her and got a pancake for himself.

"So we had sex last night?" she said more as a statement then a question and Jesse almost chocked on his bite of pancake.

"No. We didn't have sex." He informed her.

"Then why am I in your clothes?"

"Well you took off your bra and shirt, I took off the rest of it."

"Ok, I'm confused. Mind going back a bit?"

So Jesse told her about the evening, shortening some parts. She looked appalled when he informed her she had been making out with Puck. He left out the part about Finn and Rachel and skimmed over Quinn's drunken come on. Yet she knew something was missing.

"So why and when did I start taking my top off?" she asked resting her head on her hand.

"During the night." He said trying not to get into it.

"But we didn't have sex?" she asked getting it straight.

"No we did not, not for a lack of trying on your part." He said smirking.

"Oh God, I came on to you, didn't I?" she asked horrified.

"You did." He said bemused.

"Well that's embarrassing." She said pulling her knees up to her chest. "Why didn't you just take me home last night?"

"I didn't think you would want to face your mom being that drunk."

"Good call." She nodded.

"So where do we stand?" he asked nervous of what her answer might be.

"I don't know." She said with a hint of sadness in her voice. "I mean it was really nice of you to save me last night. I never would have been able to live with myself if I had slept with Puck again. But it doesn't mean I can forgive what you did."

"Quinn I'm—"

"Don't apologize just because you think that's what I want to hear."

"I'm not. Andrea has been a very good friend of mine for years now. When she came over she said it was just to say goodbye and I really thought that was all we were doing. Unfortunately Andrea's idea of saying goodbye involves sex. I should have known better but I just wanted to say goodbye and that's when she started touching me. I told her about you, that I wasn't interested in her, but Andrea's very…persistent." He said trying to put it delicately.

"So you're saying you were molested?" she asked not buying it.

"I'm saying that I'm an idiot but I never meant to hurt you and I'm genuinely sorry I did."

"How can I ever trust you again?"

"Because I could have been with Andrea all summer but instead I was with you. Because I leave in a week and a half and you're the only person I want to spend those remaining days with." He said sincerely.

She didn't say anything for a moment and the silence was killing him. What would he do if she didn't forgive him? He wasn't ready to never see her again. Why was he so good at making people he cared about hate him?

She bit her lip and glanced over at him. He gave her a small, hesitant smile and to his relief she smiled back. "Maybe we're both idiots." She said moving around the table and sitting on his lap. She gently brought her lips to his and he savored the feeling knowing they had little time left. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. If life were fair he would never have to let her go. Instead they would have to make the most out of the ten days that remained.


	11. Chapter 11

Quinn was leaning up against Jesse's car and Jesse was leaning against her. They had been kissing so long it was getting to the point where she could hardly breath and her lips were sore. Yet she didn't want to tell him to stop. She never wanted him to stop.

It was dusk, the sun had already set so the sky was a purplish color and a few stars had come out. It was a beautiful, warm summer night. Quinn was in a white tank top and jean shorts, Jesse in his usual black jeans and a black t-shirt. They'd spent the day together and Jesse was supposed to be driving her home but this was as far as they had gotten. They'd been kissing for almost twenty minutes.

It had taken a few days but she was finally over the whole Andrea thing, or at least as over it as she was going to get before he left. She could have made him suffer, but that would mean being away from him and she didn't want that when they had so little time left. It would have been easier to stay mad at him if she didn't want him so bad.

She ran her fingers under his tight t-shirt, feeling the warmth of his chest. His hands slipped into the back pockets of her jean shorts and pulled her closer. A quiet giggle escaped from her lips but she kept them attached to his.

"I really should get home." She said finally pulling away.

"No." he said bringing her lips back to his.

"Jesse, I haven't been home in days. My mom will be worried." She said pushing him away.

"Since when do you care what you're mom thinks?" he challenged moving his lips down to her throat.

"I get the feeling she's really worried about me. Every time we run into each other she has this pinched look of disapproval on her face. I think she might stop if I finally spend a night at home in my bed." She said rationally.

"I don't want to spend the night without you." He pouted, bearing his face in her neck.

"Its just one night. I'll make you a deal. I sleep at home tonight and then I spend every night remaining at your house." She offered thinking it was fair.

"Fine." He grumbled unhappily. "But I'm not happy about it."

"You don't have to be happy, you just have to accept it." She said giving him a quick kiss.

XXXXXXX

Quinn was lying in her bed staring up at the ceiling. For whatever reason she couldn't fall asleep. It didn't make any sense. She'd slept without Jesse many times. It couldn't be that. But she couldn't think of another reason for her insomnia.

She turned around in her bed so she was on her stomach and wrapped her arms around her pillow. She would just have to make the best of it. This kind of behavior worried her though. If she couldn't stand being away from him for one night how was she going to cope when he went away to college? They were entering very dangerous territory and it made her stomach ache.

She glanced over at her clock and noticed it was four in the morning. She'd started trying to fall asleep around one. It had been three hours and she wasn't any closer to dozing off. She really wanted to call Jesse but since she was the one who insisted they spend the night apart, she didn't think it would be fair to. Besides, he was probably sleeping fine.

She got up and went into the bathroom. Splashing her face with cold water, she had no idea what that was supposed to do but it seemed people did that in movies. All she knew was she needed something to do or else she would call him.

The only thing she could think of was to go swimming. So she changed into her bathing suit and grabbed her phone and a towel before heading downstairs. She went quietly so she wouldn't wake up her mom, putting her hair up into a ponytail as she went down the stairs.

She left her phone and towel on one of the lawn chairs and dove into the pool. The water was a little cold but she knew her body would get used to it soon. She started doing laps, hoping the faster she swam, the more exhausted she would get.

Her phone started to ring and her stomach instantly filled with butterflies. She pulled herself out of the pool and ran over to her phone. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw it was Jesse calling.

"Hi." She said breathlessly.

"Couldn't sleep?" he deduced.

"No." she confessed.

"Me neither. That's why I drove to your house."

"What?" she asked turning around looking for any sign of him.

"I'll be there in a few minutes." He informed her.

She hung up the phone and raced upstairs on her tiptoes. She peeled off her wet bathing suit and hung it in the bathroom. Wrapping her towel around her body, she went to her dresser and tried to find the best thing to be wearing when he showed up. The towel dropped to the floor as she slipped a silk nightie over her head. It clung to her boobs and went just past her ass. She stepped into a pair of lace underwear and looked at herself in the mirror.

She wished she had time to shower. Her hair was all wet and full of chlorine. She scrunched it with a towel so it had a little curl to it and glanced at reflection again. It was the best she could do with such short notice.

There was a pinging sound on her window and she turned around to see a small rock hitting her window. She walked over to it and saw Jesse standing in her yard, waving up to her. She pressed her hand against the window and then hurried downstairs to see him. The moment she was close enough, she jumped into his arms and kissed him.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't stay away." He apologized.

"I don't care. I wanted to see you." She said with a giant grin on her face.

"I couldn't sleep. My house felt so empty without you there."

"Come on." She said dropping to the ground and leading him into her house. They went upstairs to her room and Jesse stripped down to his boxers before climbing into the bed with her. He formed his body around her and wrapped her in his arms. He gently kissed the nape of her neck.

"I love you. It's almost scary that I can't even fall asleep without you." He said quietly.

"I feel the same. This is getting pretty intense." She said with a sigh.

"I can't help it."

"Neither can I."

"What are we going to do?" she asked feeling frightened of the future.

"We're going to make the best of it."

She knew he was trying to make her feel better but making the best was still going to be terrible. They were barely going to make it through. This was going to be difficult. How was she going to move on when he was gone?

XXXXXXXXX

"Hi." He said when her head poked around the doorway.

"Hi." She said nervously.

"Why won't you come in?" he asked watching her.

"Building the suspense." She said with a smile.

"It's built." He said impatiently.

"Ok." She said moving so he could see her.

"Wow." He said, his jaw dropping. "Good thing I've got a lot of condoms with you looking like that…"

"No condoms." She said shaking her head. "I'm on the pill. I want to feel you and I don't want to have to worry about putting a new one on all night. This is our last night together, I want it to be special." She said walking into the room wearing nothing but a satin slip. She liked the way his eyes were glued to her, watching as she slowly made her way over to the bed. He was sitting there in just his black boxer-briefs.

Taking her hand, he pulled her to him and formed his mouth around hers. She got on him, her legs straddling him as they continued to kiss. He ran his fingers through her hair as their bodies rubbed against each other.

After awhile, Quinn pulled away and got to her feet. Grabbing both his hands she made him do the same. "What are you doing?" he asked looking curious as her hands trailed down his chest to find his underwear. Gently, her fingers felt the waistband of them until she tugged them down, following them to the floor. Jesse watched her as she got on her knees in front of him.

"You don't have to do that." He said knowing what she was about to do.

"I want to." She said, her tongue flicking against the tip of his penis. She licked up and down the shaft before tonguing his balls. She'd never done this before so she was really just making it up as she went along.

She took part of him into her mouth, her tongue encircling it before pulling back out. She did the same again, moving her mouth further down his shaft until she had taken all of him. She began moving her mouth up and down his dick. She grabbed his hips, her nails digging into his ass, as she moved them to meet her. He took over, thrusting himself into her as he moaned with pleasure.

"Stop." He told her when he was close to coming. She removed her mouth from his cock and wondered why he'd asked her to stop. "I don't want to cum yet." He explained.

She stood up and his hands lightly touched the bottom of her slip before lifting it up over her head. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around him so he was completely holding her up. She had her arms wrapped around his neck and her breasts were right near his mouth. One of his hands was cupping her ass, holding her while the other went up to massage her tit. He brought his mouth to the other one and his tongue made tiny circles around her nipple. When she least expected it, he bit down but only enough that it hurt a little, somehow in a good way. She bucked against him out of shock and surprise, making her boob plunge deeper into his mouth.

She could tell he was smiling triumphantly before sucking on her breast. After a moment his tongue ran through the valley between them before switching everything so he could concentrate on her other boob. This time he bit her nipple first and she bucked against him again, not expecting it so soon. He then alternated between running his tongue over and around her hard nipple and sucking on the rest of her tit.

When he was done he dropped her onto the bed and she bounced slightly, her head dropping on the pillow. Her took her hand and together they rubbed her clit before both inserting two fingers inside of her. After a few moments, he removed his hand and let her finish by herself. As he watched her pleasure herself, his hand went down to his dick, unable to control himself.

"Oh Fuck." He said stroking his cock, watching her. She bit down on her lip, her fingers moving fast inside her until she made herself cum.

He took her hand and sucked the two fingers she had used. He then lowered his head between her legs and plunged his tongue inside her getting the rest. "Just put it in already." She said growing impatient.

"Someone's eager." He grinned after pulling away from her. "There's no rush, we have all night."

"I want it now." She pouted, her bottom lip sticking out. He brought his face to hers and gently bit her bottom lip. He kissed her, his tongue finding hers. She knew he was ignoring her request on purpose and if he didn't start fucking her soon, she was going to take matters into her own hands.

As if he could read her mind, he stood up and pulled her so she was near the edge of the bed. Grabbing her legs and holding them on either side of him, he entered her all the way, a quiet scream erupting from her lips. He would use her legs to push her away and pull her back, meeting his thrusts.

She sat up and wrapped her arms around him. Slowly she brought herself up to him so he was holding her up again. He carried her over to the wall and pressed her against it while continuing to gyrate inside her.

"Faster." She pleaded knowing she was getting close. She dug her nails into his back and didn't release until they both came.

"You're extraordinary." He said kissing her.

"You're not so bad yourself." She said playing with his chest hair.

He carried her to the bed and together they tumbled into it laughing. She sat on his stomach as her hands took their time gliding over his muscles. Then she bent down as she sucked on his neck. After a small, swollen mark appeared, he grabbed her roughly by the hair and pressed his lips to hers.

"I wish we had more time." She said wistfully.

"We have the rest of the night."

"No, I mean more than just tonight. It's so unfair to lose something like this."

"I know." He agreed. "It's not too late."

"We already discussed this. You're going to college at UCLA and you're going to knock them dead with your talent." She said doing her best to be happy. "It still doesn't mean I won't miss you when you're gone."

"Are you kidding me?" he asked joining in on her playful mood to forget how sad they were. "You'll forget about me on the first day when some cute boy asks for your number."

"And I'll tell him I'm already in love with someone even if we are separated by an entire country. And that I could never forget him."

"Really?" he asked surprised.

She nodded in response and began to sing. "Unforgettable, that's what you are. Unforgettable though near or far." She didn't know the rest but luckily Jesse joined in.

"Like a song of love that clings to me. How the thought of you does things to me. Never before has someone been more."

She joined back in when she could remember the words and together they sang.

"_Unforgettable in every way_

_And forever more, that's how you'll stay_

_That's why, darling, it's incredible_

_That someone so unforgettable_

_Thinks that I am unforgettable too."_

"I think you're getting better at singing love songs." He commented when they had finished the song.

"Is that so?" she asked kissing down his chest and back up to meet his lips.

"It is." He said between kisses. "Hmm, I could kiss you all day."

"You'll have to settle for kissing me all night."

XXXXXX

"Oh God." Quinn screamed as she bounced up and down on Jesse's cock. "Oh fuck."

Jesse growled in response. They had decided to branch out and have sex in different places in the house since they didn't have to worry about Jesse's parents. They were currently having sex in a living room chair, Quinn on top, while Marvin Gaye played through the speakers.

He had his hands on her boobs, lazily playing with her nipples. She had her hands on the top of the chair for momentum. Every once in awhile she would reach behind and fondle his testicles. Their lips were always touching part of the other's skin unless they were too busy screaming in ecstasy.

A sound ripped from Jesse's lips as he came inside her.

"I love you." She yelled, throwing her head back as she climaxed. They stared at each other for a moment, both of them getting their breath back. They kissed each other like they could never stop tasting the other. His lips and tongue greedily found hers as he devoured her in a kiss.

"I'm kind of hungry." He admitted gently stroking her hair.

"I could eat." She agreed.

"Why don't we get all dressed up and go somewhere fancy?" he suggested.

"If you want to." She shrugged indifferently.

"Great." He said kissing her again.

Half an hour later Quinn had borrowed one of Mrs. St. James's dresses and a pearl necklace. The dress was black with a plunging neckline that tied at her neck. Jesse was in a nice suit waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. Quinn wrapped her arms around him as they kissed before heading out.

They held hands in the car and again as they walked into the restaurant. Quinn had never felt so giddy in her life. The only problem was that he looked so hot in his tux, with his hair curly and perfect that she just wanted to rip his clothes off right there. The more she looked at him the hornier she got to the point where she had to look at her menu for a distraction.

Feeling playful, she slipped off one of her heels and began rubbing Jesse's leg. "What are you doing?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing." She said innocently as she pulled her chair in even more so her foot could reach his crotch. She began rubbing his dick through his pants with her toes. She wanted, no needed to touch him.

"Are you ready to order?" the waiter asked startling her. She'd been so busy she hadn't noticed he'd come over.

"I'll have the Chicken Marsala." She said giving him her order.

"I'll have the spinach tortellini." He said.

Quinn waited until their server was gone before she confessed something to Jesse. "This was a bad idea."

"You don't like the food here?" he asked worried.

"It's not that." She shook her head. "It's that I can't think about anything other than having your cock penetrate me until I scream with pleasure."

"Wow." He said blinking at her.

"I have to go to the bathroom." She announced, hoping he would get the hint. She took her purse and walked to the girl's bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and then sat up on the sink and waited. A few minutes later Jesse walked in and locked the door behind him.

"Thank God." She said as he walked over and kissed her. "I was about to start without you."

"I had to let the waiter know we hadn't left so he would still bring us our food." He said pulling her closer to him.

"Take off your pants." She commanded, helping him unzip them.

"Take off your underwear." He told her as he let his pants fall down around his ankles.

"I'm not wearing any." She informed him.

"God you're so sexy." He said taking her hand and putting it on his cock.

"No time, just put it in." she said spreading her legs for him.

He did as she asked and thrust himself into her. She bit down on her lip to keep from making a noise. They kissed to make their moans of passion more muffled. Wrapping her legs around him, she held onto the sink faucet to keep from falling off as he humped her harder.

She was so turned on already that it didn't take long for her to finish. So she waited for him to finish. "Fuck me." She whispered in his ear. "Fuck me faster."

She smacked his bare ass and couldn't help letting out a giggle. "Oh yea baby, fuck me!" she said grabbing his nipples and pinching them. He let out a whimper and she let go.

"Get on the floor." She ordered him. He picked her up off the counter and lowered them both to the floor. Now on top, Quinn started rolling her hips, feeling him pulsate inside of her. She grabbed his tie and used it to pull his face towards hers. She bit both his bottom and top lip before plunging her tongue into his mouth.

Putting her hands up over her head, she began moving as fast as she could on top of him. He put his hands on her ass and helped her with the movement. It wasn't long before Quinn was ready to cum again. She brought her arms down, undid the tie at her neck and started massaging her own boobs. She could tell Jesse liked that so she continued to feel her tits that were swollen and covered in bite marks from earlier.

"Do you like that baby?" she asked watching him.

"Yes." He nodded. "Oh fuck yes."

"Good." She said putting her hands down on the tiled floor and pulling herself so he was almost out of her and then dropping down so he was all the way in her. After a few times of that, Jesse finally came right before she came for the second time.

She bent over and kissed him and they rolled over the cold floor continuing to kiss each other. Someone was knocking on the bathroom door but she did her best to ignore it. Jesse finally made her get off him and he started fixing his pants. She took a moment to fix her hair in the mirror and straighten out her dress. Jesse took a moment to fix his tie before exiting the bathroom.

The women waiting to go stared at them in horror as they walked past her to get to their table. Their food was there when they arrived and Jesse immediately asked the waiter for the check. They got their food to go and they laughed as together they ran towards the car. Quinn knew he would hardly get in the door before she would rip that tux off him.

XXXXXXXX

They were lying naked together on the kitchen floor eating their now cold dinner. They talked about nothing in particular while they finished their food. He'd gotten a bottle of wine that they were drinking, already having finished a few glasses of it. When he was done, Jesse straddled Quinn and began to give her a backrub. She enjoyed the feeling of his fingers kneading her skin and could feel him getting harder as he went. She let out moans when he hit certain spots.

He went all the way down her body, even massaging her feet. When he was done, she flipped over onto her back. "Now do that other side." She said suggestively.

He started at her shoulders, making his way down to her breasts. He slowly made his way down her stomach and then spread her legs apart and inserted four fingers inside her, his thumbs rubbing her clit. She arched her back and her body shook as she hit her orgasm.

"My turn." Jesse said lying down on his stomach. Quinn got on him and began rubbing him down, feeling all his back muscles. When he flipped over she got to work on his torso and then concentrated on his cock. She stroked it a few times before wrapping her hand around it and began jerking him off. She went slow at first, feeling him in her hand. Her other hand felt his balls, jiggling and cupping them. His body convulsed as he came, Quinn's name tearing from his throat.

XXXXXXX

It was the dawn and the sun was just coming up. Quinn and Jesse were lying together, tangled up in the sheets, watching the sunrise through Jesse's bedroom window. They were both exhausted and Quinn felt the sadness dawn on her when she realized they were almost out of time.

He kissed her temple and she closed her eyes to savor the feeling. How many more kisses would they have? How many more minutes would he hold her for? How long before he got in his car and drove away? She desperately wanted to just forget how long they had and just be with him but her mind was running a mile a minute.

"Come back to me." He whispered.

"What?" she asked confused.

"I could tell your mind had gone somewhere else." He explained.

"Sorry." She said snuggling in closer to him.

"Its fine." He said pressing his lips to hers.

"We don't have much time left, do we?"

"I think this will be our last time."

"Well then we better make it a good one." She said clasping both her hands in his.

He held her hand as he led her into his parent's bedroom. There was a very large bathtub in there that he began to fill with water and different kinds of soap. When the tub was full they stepped in and she sunk into the water. She moved over to him and sat on his lap so she was facing him.

"I don't think I've ever met anyone as perfect as you." He said admiring her as he brushed her hair to one side.

"I'm not perfect, believe me." She said knowingly.

"But you are beautiful."

"You're kind of handsome too."

"Just kind of?" he asked offended.

"Fine, your hot and sexy and gorgeous."

"That's more like it." He grinned before kissing her. His hands moved to her back and held her closer to him.

After kissing for a long time, she had to pull away to catch her breath. He rested his forehead against hers and for a moment they just stared at each other. "Oh God this sucks." She groaned in frustration. "I knew I shouldn't have fallen in love with you."

"I couldn't help it either." He said gently stroking her cheek. "It's not like we'll never talk again. I mean with all the technology out there, there's no reason we can't keep in contact."

"Do you think that's smart? Won't it make it harder to move on then if we had a clean break?"

"What is a clean break? Any time two people split it's messy. It's not going to go as smooth as we would like it to." He reasoned.

"I know but seeing you, talking to you. It seems like a bad idea." She said biting her lip nervously.

"Why?"

"Because one day you're going to be too busy to write me back or you'll find some pretty young thing to sleep with and forget me because I'm so far away. It just seems like the more we string this out, the harder it's going to be."

"Why do you assume it's me that's going to break your heart? You've got tons of guys that want to be with you."

"Yes but I'm swearing off men for awhile." She confessed.

"Why would you do that?" he asked.

"I don't think I can take being in love again, at least not for awhile. I mean I went from dating Finn, to sort of dating Puck, to having a baby to being with you. I think I need some time for myself."

"I think that's smart. I don't know I just don't like this severing all ties stuff. Can't I email you just to check in and see how you're doing? I won't call if you think that's too personal. I know I'm going to wonder what you're up to so is that ok?"

Quinn thought it over. What harm could emailing each other once a month or so do? It wasn't like she was against talking to him ever again. Of course he said he would email now but once he got to college he might not have time or just not feel like it anymore. What if she waited and waited for an email that never came? She'd feel so pathetic.

"If we do email each other, we have to do it as friends. You tell me how college is, I'll tell you about life at McKinley but nothing else. No saying you love me or miss me or any sexy stuff. We'll just update each other on our lives and keep it at that."

"Fair enough." He agreed and pulled her back in for another kiss. His lips began exploring her face, neck and shoulders. Her hands slowly descended down, one of them rubbing her clit, the other feeling his cock.

"Take me to the bed." She whispered when she couldn't stand it anymore. He wrapped his arms around her, carried her to the bed and gently placed her onto it. She sat up and grabbed one of his hands, taking his first finger and sliding it into her mouth. Sucking on it, she watched him for his reaction, which was him becoming fully erect in front of her.

"I want this to be amazing." She said guiding his hand down to her breasts. "I want to please you so tell me what to do."

"Ok." He said staring at her in surprise. "But only if you do the same."

"Deal." She nodded. "Kiss me."

He grabbed her roughly by the back of the head and pressed his lips to hers, his tongue sliding into her mouth. He asked her to massage her own boobs and she complied, rubbing her nipples and moving her hands in circles around her breasts.

"Touch me down there." She said, her eyes flickering to her pussy. His hand trailed down her body before sticking his fingers inside of her. "Oh God." She said arching her back and grabbing the sheets. Her whole body shook as a powerful orgasm erupted through her.

"Get on your hands and knees." He said a moment later. She did, crouching on the bed.

"Smack my ass." She said wiggling it playfully. He laughed before bringing his hand down and spanking her. "Harder." She requested and he did it again with more force.

He put his knee between her legs to spread them wider and then entered her doggie style. Putting his hands on her hips, he pushed her away and pulled her back while meeting her with thrusts of his own. Grabbing her firmly by the hips, he spun her around onto her back, being careful not to get hit by her legs.

"Stop. Pull out." She said not ready for him to cum yet. He removed his penis from her. "Sit down." She told him.

He sat on the edge of the bed and she lowered herself onto him so she was facing away from him. He brushed the hair off one of her shoulders and lightly bit her. She grabbed his hands and placed them on her tits. She slowly began moving up and down on top of him, using the bed to push herself up.

"Lie down." She told him. When he had, she got off him and lied down backwards on his stomach, her legs spread. She got onto her knees and he took her by the hips and lowered her pussy onto his face. As he began to lick her, she brought her mouth to his dick and began to suck. His tongue plunged into her as she lowered her mouth, taking all of him into her. She brought herself back up so just the tip was in and ran her tongue over it before going back down. Meanwhile his tongue darted in and out of her, making her so wet.

She came and then concentrated on getting him to do the same. She moved her mouth faster and he began rolling his hips up to meet her. Moments later, his body rocked with an orgasm and she took his hot cum into her mouth before swallowing it.

She turned herself around to face him and they smiled at each other. She lied down, their bodies pressing against each other as they kissed. "I've never had sex in my parents bedroom before." He confessed, looking around. "It's not as bizarre feeling as I thought it might be."

"Do we have time for one more?" she asked looking at the clock.

"My God, what have I turned you into?" he asked chuckling.

"I'm not becoming some nymphomaniac. It's not like I'm going to go back to school and have sex with anybody like Santana or Brittany. It's that I only have you for a little while longer and I want you as much as possible. Is that so wrong?" she asked running her fingers through his chest hair.

"So it's just my animal magnetism driving you wild?"

"Something like that." She said with a grin. "Are you ready?"

"Locked and loaded." He said with a nod.

Something on the dresser caught her eye and gave her an idea. She hopped off the bed and went and grabbed it. "Tie me up." She said throwing on of his father's ties at him.

"What?" he asked confused.

"Or I could tie you up." She offered climbing back onto the bed and sitting on top of him.

"Why does anyone have to be tied up?" he asked confused.

"Because it'll be fun." She shrugged. "So you or me?"

"You." He said taking the tie from her and beginning to wrap it around her hands. He knotted it off and then tied her to the bedpost. He took a moment to stare at her, her arms held up over her head. "I've got to admit, this is kind of hot."

"Let's go." She said rubbing her body against his. "Do what you want with me."

He kissed down her torso as she crossed her legs. When he noticed, he stopped and looked up at her. "What's this?" he asked

"You have to earn it." She said smiling mischievously.

"Very well." He said accepting her challenge. He brought his face to hers and gently kissed her. She was expecting it to be more rough and passionate but instead he moved to her ear and began to nibble. He ran his hands down her body as his lips moved to her throat and then her breasts as he began to suck. Running his tongue over the bottom curve of her boob, he then took as much of it into his mouth as possible and sucked it hard. He slid his mouth back so just the nipple was still in and tugged on it with his teeth. A loud moan escaped her lips and he moved over to the do the same with the other one.

She uncrossed her legs but keeps them together. He hasn't completely won her over yet. His thumbs make little circles on her now hard nipples. "You want me, don't you?" he said and she glanced at him knowing he was looking for a shortcut. She nodded in response.

He kissed down her body, making her shiver with pleasure but she kept her ground. He got off the bed and walked to the edge of it. Slowly, he picked up one of her tiny feet and kissed her arch. He then proceeded to kiss down her leg, lightly biting her every so often. He kissed up her other legs and then roughly pushed them apart.

He inserted two fingers inside of her then removed them to suck her clit. He licked her pussy, hard and slow. She sighed and moaned with pleasure until her body couldn't take it anymore and released. He moved so he was on top of her and teasing her with his cock. He would just slightly put it in and then pull out.

"How bad do you want it?" he asked entering her just slightly again.

"Really bad." She said wrapping her legs around him hoping she could move him further in.

"Say please." He said being a bastard.

"Please." She said in frustration.

"Ok then." He said fully penetrating her, making her scream in ecstasy. He continued to gyrate inside her, making her scream louder. His thrusts became harder as he grabbed the bed and used it for momentum. The whole bed seemed to shift as he plowed into her, showing no mercy. The friction of their bodies was electric and didn't stop until they both climaxed together.

"I love you so much." He said collapsing onto her and kissing the valley between her breasts. He reached up and undid her bondage.

"I love you." She responded hugging him to her.


	12. Chapter 12

[Hey look I'm finally updating! Sorry, I got really busy and then the second season of Glee kind of ruined both Jesse and Quinn for me so I didn't even want to work on this anymore. But people asked so I finally wrote some more. Hope you like it. I'll try to not to have such a huge gap between chapters next time.]

Quinn stood by the car watching Jesse load the last of his things into it. It felt like the final nail in the coffin that was their relationship. They kept talking about his leaving but it didn't feel real until now. This was actually happening, she might not see him for a very long time.

That moment, their last together, was why she hadn't wanted to get involved with him. She didn't want to have to say goodbye. She hated the idea of him leaving, even with their relationship being somewhat dysfunctional. She couldn't get the image out of her head of him going to college and hooking up with random, slutty girls.

And even though he had asked that they email each other, she worried he would forget about her. How could he not when he was across the country? She would feel pathetic if she constantly checked her email hoping he had written her. The last thing she wanted was to be obsessed.

"I think this is the last of it." He said shutting the trunk of his car.

"So this is it." She said with chagrin. "I'm sorry your parents aren't here to say goodbye."

"They called this morning. I guess they figured that would be enough."

"They should have been here." she said gently rubbing his back in an attempt to be comforting.

"I'm over it." He shrugged and turned around to wrap his arms around her waist. "I'd rather be alone with you anyway. If my parents were here they'd be asking us a million questions about our relationship. That and we'd have to worry that they'd notice what we did in their bed."

She couldn't help but smile thinking about their night together. She moved her body closer, pressing herself against him. "Don't get me wrong, I love having you to myself, but I still feel bad that I'm the only one here to see you off."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He said leaning down and kissing her. "I wish you were coming with me. You could drive across the country with me. I'll pay for your plane ticket back."

"I wish I could." She sighed. "But I think its time I start forgiving my mom so we survive living together."

"So what have you decided about when you go back to school?"

"I'm not sure." She answered honestly.

"Screw them, do whatever you want. You're better than everyone in that crappy school."

"Thanks."

"I mean it. If you want to be a Cheerio again, you have to go in there and demand it. Find a way so Sue has no choice."

"I don't know if I want to be a Cheerio."

"Of course you do. One thing we have in common is that we both are concerned with out status. It's why I strive for excellence and why I know the moment you join the Cheerio you'll never stop trying to be head Cheerleader. We have this innate need to be on top."

"I'm not like that anymore. Having Beth and being in Glee club has changed me a lot." She insisted.

"That's why you'll do both. It'll balance everything out."

"I'm really going to miss you. Who would have thought you would become my moral compass?"

"I'm going to miss you too. And I wish I didn't but I have to go. Even if I leave now I'll barely make it for orientation."

"So this is it." She said doing her best to wrap her head around it.

"It is." He said brushing her hair behind her ear, his thumb stroking her cheek.

She brought her face to his, their lips gently touching. He grabbed her roughly and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Her head began to get dizzy but she could have stayed there forever. He broke the kiss so his lips could explore the rest of her. He kissed her face, cheeks, nose, down to her neck and then back to her lips. It took everything in her not to rip his clothes off and do him right there in the driveway. Instead she resigned herself to being content on just kissing him.

"I'm sorry." He said pulling away and resting his forehead against hers.

"For what?" she asked confused.

"I really have to leave but I don't want to."

"I know." She said gazing into his eyes, wishing she were selfish enough to make him stay or crazy enough to go with him. "I know."

"This isn't goodbye."

"It doesn't make it suck less."

"Truer words were never spoken." He said with melancholy.

She placed her hands gently on either side of his face and brought his lips to hers. Tears were forming in her eyes but she did her best to ignore them. Running her fingers through his hair, she finally rested her arms around his neck, holding him to her.

He broke away from her and trailed his thumb across her tear-stained cheek. With some difficulty, she looked up at him and saw a sadness in his face that matched her own. He gave her one last short kiss.

"I love you."

"I love you." She replied trying her best to smile.

He turned and pulled the keys from his pocket. She watched as he got in and started the car. How could it have come to this? A tearful goodbye before he would drive away. Why couldn't she find a relationship that would last? Did love always have to be so painful?

He rolled down the window and she held her breath, waiting for what he would say. "Can you do me a favor?" he asked.

"Of course." She nodded.

"Could you torture Rachel just a little bit this next year? Make her life a little bit more miserable?"

"Sure." She said with a laugh. If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was torture Rachel.

"You'll miss me." He said with a grin.

"You'll miss me more."

"You have no idea." He shook his head.

She blew him a kiss before he drove off. She was grateful to him for lightening the mood. He had to know how difficult this was for her and was doing his best to make light of a crappy situation. But as his car faded from view, the only thing going through her head was, _now what?_

XXXXXXXXX

Quinn had every intention of sticking to her plan to stay away from guys all year. She was back on the Cheerios and between that and Glee club she was keeping busy. She felt back on top of the world and it felt good. But as hard as she tried, she couldn't keep busy enough to stop thinking about Jesse.

They had emailed each other a few times, telling the other how school was going. He was involved in so many activities that he could only email her the few minutes he had between classes. His emails were often brief and he asked that they start texting instead but she said no.

If they started texting, they would be in constant contact. The last thing she needed was to make it harder to get over him. It took everything she had not to call him when she was feeling lonely or sad. The only time she allowed herself to think about him was in the privacy of her room while she pleasured herself. Every time she made herself cum, she couldn't help saying his name.

The worst part was trying to fall asleep. Every night she would lie awake, desperately wanting to go to sleep but unable to. She would do her best to imagine his arms around her but it wasn't the same. She spent most of her nights fighting back tears until she was so exhausted she passed out.

She had specific plans at the beginning of the summer of how this school year would go. Her plan did not involve pining over Jesse and it definitely didn't factor in Sam. He was cute and really into her. The problem was she didn't want a new relationship and being stuck on Jesse didn't help.

How could she possibly date Sam? She didn't owe Jesse anything but going out with some guy so soon felt like an act of betrayal. She hadn't said anything about remaining faithful especially since they weren't even together anymore. It didn't mean she was ready to fall in love with someone new. Sam seemed nice and she didn't want to use him as a rebound.

They had fun together at Breadsticks. If she was going to be in a relationship with someone, Sam was a serious candidate. She had called it a date but she shouldn't have. The fact that she had used Jesse's line of a gentlemen always pays meant she was not ready for someone new. It had probably given Sam the wrong impression and that was the last thing she wanted.

She really wished she could talk to Jesse about it but she feared it might be awkward. Even more she feared he would tell her to go for it, that he had moved on and she should do the same. One thing she knew was she couldn't keep listening to "The Littlest Things" by Lily Allen on repeat, singing along and crying.

XXXXXXX

Sam had finally asked her to be his girlfriend. He'd even gotten her a ring. It was sweet, romantic and intense. They seemed to be moving pretty fast and she didn't feel prepared for it. So why had she said yes to him? Why was she wearing the ring?

The only thing that was certain was that she had to officially end things with Jesse. If she was going to be with Sam, she had to get over Jesse. She had to move on with her life and be with someone who was actually around. Besides Jesse hadn't written in weeks. He'd probably already moved on and wouldn't care that she was trying to do the same.

So that afternoon, she got on her computer and started to write him an email:

Jesse,

I'm sorry but I'm ending whatever this thing is between us. I've met someone else and so I don't think its right to keep talking to you. Please understand that I still love you, which is why I feel it's not fair to continue contacting you. This is really hard on me but I can't keep doing this. I have to move on and I finally found someone I feel I can do that with. I'll never forget you or this past summer but I need something more. Good luck with the rest of your freshman year.

-Quinn

She did her best to stay composed as she said goodbye to him. He deserved a phone call but she just couldn't. Chances were he would try to talk her out of it and that wasn't an option. She had to stay resilient and at least try to get over him. That was never going to happen unless she gave Sam a chance.

Jesse wasn't going to be happy when he read that email, she knew that. Then again he could have met someone at college. She wished and dreaded it at the same time. Not that she wanted him to be miserable while she was happy but she didn't want him hooking up with some college slut. It was all so complicated.

XXXXX

Jesse stared at his laptop screen in disbelief, reading an email Quinn had sent him basically breaking up with him. He knew she wouldn't have trouble meeting someone new. It was his hope that she would be too heartbroken to date at least for several months. And he knew this was partly his fault, he hadn't been able to write her lately. If she had only agreed to texting this wouldn't have happened.

He was trying his best to be happy for her. She deserved to be with someone who would treat her right. It still stung though that she had moved on so quickly. A part of him wanted to fly home and change her mind. The bigger part knew that would be a real dick move. He couldn't destroy her relationship just so they could go back to emailing when they could.

He hit reply to her email and wrote what he though was a very civilized answer:

I understand. I'm glad you've found someone. As much as I wish things could be different and that we could be together, I get your desire to move on. So I will not email you again unless you email me first. Have a great year and I hope you get everything you want.

-Jesse

He hit send and angrily closed his laptop. Taking a deep breath, he ran his fingers through his hair and tried to calm down. He felt a strange urge to hit something. What he needed was a way to release his pent up energy.

Like it was fate, someone knocked on his door. He got up to answer it, glad for the distraction. Nina, the girl who lived across the hall was standing there in a low cut shirt and skinny jeans. She looked like she was on her way out with her hair done and all her make-up applied.

Nina had made it painfully obvious over the last couple of months that she was into Jesse. She was always finding reasons to knock on his door, asking if he wanted to hang out. This could have been attributed to her being very friendly, but since she never seemed to knock on anyone else's doors, Jesse had concluded she was into him. And he would have already slept with her if he hadn't been crazy busy and hung up on Quinn.

So as she stood in his doorway looking sexy as hell, he couldn't help thinking there was nothing holding him back now. "Hey Nina."

"Hi." She said in her high, breathy voice. "I was just on my way out to a club with some of my friends. Any chance you want to come?"

"I'd love to but—"

"—but you have something super important to do instead. Come on, how many times are you going to blow me off?" she asked annoyed.

"I'm sorry."

"Save it." She said turning to leave. Jesse grabbed her arm and pulled her into his room, shutting the door behind them. He kissed her roughly and pushed her up against the wall. "Wow. I didn't think you were into me." She said breaking their kiss.

"Things change." He said simply, kissing her neck and down to the cleavage her shirt exposed.

"Is this really happening?" she asked incredulously.

"It is." He replied taking her hand and leading her to his bed.

XXXXX

Jesse awoke to the sight Nina in one of his shirts, making some coffee. She poured two cups and brought one over to him. She watched him as he sipped it and then tentatively drank hers. He didn't know why, but he was expecting her to be gone in the morning. It was only now that he was realizing last night was a big mistake.

She was insanely into him and she would see last night as the beginning of their relationship. He just needed someone to distract him from Quinn, he wasn't looking for something new. From the way she was watching him, she definitely had the wrong idea. Now he just needed a way to let her down gently.

"Last night was fun." She said putting down her coffee and getting into the bed.

"Yeah." He answered offhandedly, wondering the best way to get her to fuck off without hurting her feelings. He didn't want to completely burn bridges in case he wanted her again. Who knew when Quinn might climb into his thoughts. He knew it would be more often than he would like.

Just picturing her made him feel more than he wanted. He remembered running his fingers through her long blond hair. How perfect and silky it had always been. He tried to push the memory away as best he could by getting up off the bed and kissing Nina. She was tall with dark hair, the complete opposite of Quinn. She would be his distraction.

She tasted like coffee. Her kiss was soft and unsure. Yet all he could think about was how much he wanted her to leave. How he wanted to drown himself in alcohol and enough women to forget Quinn Fabray. The bitch who had broken up with him. It was a first for him. He was always very careful to do the dumping. Even with Rachel he had been quick to get out first before she realized she was in love with someone else.

But Quinn. Did it even count as a break up? All she'd really done was stopped them emailing each other. So why did it feel like he'd been dumped? He should never have suggested emailing each other. It was stupid of him. They should have just left it, the perfect ending in his driveway. She'd blown him a kiss and he'd driven off into the sunset. Why had he been so desperate to hold on to her? Why couldn't that have been their goodbye?

He pulled away from Nina, her kiss not enough to distract him. So what exactly was the point of her? His jaw tightened in frustration and he was about to lose any concept of manners. Instead he took a deep breath and got ready to put his excellent acting skills to work.

"I've got a million things to do today." He said simply, hoping it would be enough for her to get the hint.

"Right, of course." She said beginning to gather her things up. "I'll just get out of your hair."

"Sorry." He said insincerely but she'd never know because of the apologetic look he covered it with.

"Call me if you get a moment." She said walking over to him with all her things bundled in her arm. She gave him a quick kiss. "Or just knock on my door if you need me."

"I will." He lied, hating her for not being enough of a distraction.

"Bye." She waved awkwardly trying to keep her things from dropping.

"Bye bye." He said giving her a little wave.

He actually did have a million things to do but he didn't feel like do any of them. But if being in VA had taught him anything, it was that even if your feet were bleeding and you were about to faint from lack of nutrition, you kept dancing and you did it with a fucking smile on your face. So he showered and got dressed, all the while humming songs to keep Quinn from creeping into his thoughts. He didn't sing love songs or break up songs. Instead he sang the only man who could help him express all the emotions running through him Stephen Sondhiem.

He sang _Someone is Waiting _from Company, the words running through his mind as he went to class. Then he moved onto _Little Things You Do Together _while he went to his all male accapella group rehearsal. _Pretty Women_ from Sweeney Todd was what he hummed as he walked home later that night. And for the worst part, when he was finally home alone, he sang _Unworthy Of Your Love _from Assassins.

When he couldn't take it anymore he knocked on Nina's door. She let him in without a word and before long she was giving him a blow job. He tried to get lost in the pleasure of it but she was inexperienced at it, awkwardly trying to find the right way to get him off. It reminded him of Quinn and how she'd been so unsure when she'd decided to do that for him.

"Just stop." He said pulling his dick out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry." She said upset, making him feel like an asshole.

"It's ok." He said trying to be reassuring. "We don't have to do that."

"Ok." She nodded.

How such a beautiful girl could be so fragile and insecure he had no idea. But as she kneeled in front of him, her eyes sad, he knew it was possible. He also knew he was being cruel, taking advantage of her. She deserved so much more. Instead this was what she got. A broken hearted little boy who couldn't get an angel out of his mind.

"I should go." He said pulling his pants up.

"No, don't." she begged and he couldn't help but feel slightly disgusted at how pathetic she was. He only hoped he wouldn't become -if he wasn't already—that pitiful. How damaged was this girl?

"I can do better." She promised.

He looked down at her, baffled by someone who was basically asking him to use her. Maybe she just wanted to be touched or maybe someone had broken her heart. He had never bothered to get to know he well enough to know after all these months of living across the hall from each other. It was possible she needed this as much as he did.

He sunk down onto his knees to face her. Gently he kissed her and couldn't help closing his eyes and imagining she was someone else. He forced himself to open his eyes and look at this girl, offering to be used for whatever reason. He could find out why but at that moment he didn't care. In that moment they needed each other. And as he kissed her, felt her and eventually came inside her, he forced himself to look at her the entire time. Not because he wanted to but because he knew who he would see if he closed his eyes.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Quinn was doing her best to be happy with Sam. She was trying to get caught up in the drama of the Glee club and for the most part it worked. But there were quiet moments when she was alone in the library researching or home alone right before she fell asleep he would be in her thoughts. A sadness would instantly fall over her, forcing her to text Sam or Mercedes, not wanting to feel so lonely. Even though they always answered, Sam with something sweet or Mercedes with something encouraging, it never helped.

She often stared at his number on her phone, thumb hovering over the call button. All she wanted was to hear his voice but then it would escalate from there. She'd want to touch him, kiss him, fuck him. Hearing his voice would just make her miss him more. So instead she always pressed end and threw her phone across the bed to where she couldn't be tempted.

She had kept her promise as much as she could. She tried tormenting Rachel and actually took great pleasure in it. But then it would remind her of Jesse so the victory was short-lived. So she didn't do it as often anymore, finding it too painful. But every once in awhile Rachel said something and Quinn couldn't help but say something mean. It was almost instinctual.

Sectionals were coming up and Quinn and Sam had been practicing their duet. She was nervous, especially with Rachel all pissed that Quinn got a solo and not her. If she messed up, Rachel would hold it over her head for a long time. She also didn't want to disappoint everyone. Just thinking about singing in front of all those people made her stomach fill with butterflies. If Jesse was there he would know what to say to make her feel everything would be fine. He would say something cute and clever and reassuring. And thinking of him left a hole in the pit of her stomach.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jesse had begun going through the motions at school. He'd go to class, go to rehearsal, come home, fuck Nina. It became his routine and it was mind-numbingly boring. He'd started drinking to the point where he hardly ever even remembered having sex with Nina. He would wake up hung over in her bed, sometimes she would be there and sometimes she wouldn't. He usually preferred when she wasn't.

Finally there was a break in the routine when Nina texted him to meet, saying she wanted to talk. He knew this was the inevitable break up and he didn't even care. It almost made him proud that she was finally doing something for herself. The fact that she so easily let him use her made him even more depressed. What he could remember from his nights of blackout drinking was how much he loathed her and himself.

"I just don't get the feeling you even like me. I mean it seems like you're always drunk."

"Right." He nodded only half listening.

"I don't think this is very healthy for either of us. I think I need to find someone who is actually going to care about me. I mean you don't even ask me about my life. We don't talk."

"Probably because we're not dating." He said taking a sip of his coffee. It burned his tongue but he hardly noticed.

"Well whatever we are is over. I can't do it anymore." Nina said sitting there waiting for him to respond.

"That's probably for the best." He said getting up from the booth and taking his coffee with him. "See you around."

He walked out of the Starbucks and stood outside wondering what to do next. He saw a girl sitting at a bus stop and went and sat down next to her. He sipped his coffee while he looked her over. She was short with blond hair that shone in the sun. Her face was round and sweet looking, some large hipster glasses covering half her face.

"You look like you're having a bad day." The girl commented when she caught him staring at her.

"I just got dumped." He answered, his eyes focused on her blond hair, so much like Quinn's.

"Sorry to hear that." She said looking at him apologetically.

Nina walked out of the Starbucks and spotted Jesse sitting with this new girl. She only looked for a minute and then turned on her heel and walked away. Jesse didn't even have it in him to care. He turned back to this other girl and had the strangest urge to touch her hair, to hold it between his fingertips and pretend it was _hers. _

"So what's your name?" he asked wanting nothing more than to take this girl back to his place and do unspeakable things to her.

"Amber." She replied, a smile playing on her lips.

"I'm Jesse." He said moving his coffee to the other hand so he could shake hers.

"Nice to meet you." She said, that coy little smile driving him crazy.

"You too." He said taking another sip of coffee.

"Where are you headed?" she asked

"I'm…" he tried to think of where he wanted to go. Only one place came to mind and if he said it she'd probably slap him in the face. "Not exactly sure."

"Aimless wanderer?"

"Something like that."

"You know what I think?" she asked biting her lip.

"What's that?"

"I think you should come home with me." She said suggestively. In that moment Jesse was sure he was dreaming. This girl just couldn't be real. He had obviously imagined her to cope with his loneliness. But as she reached over and took his hand, she felt so real. If it was a dream, he hoped he wouldn't wake up any time soon.

The bus ride was surprisingly short and he could feel the sexual tension rising. The moment they got inside her house, she attacked him. He was pinned against the wall, her lips pressed against his. They hurriedly removed each other's clothes and started making out on the carpeted floor of her front room. She got on top and started to ride him and as he looked up, all he could see was her hair, that fucking hair.

Amber took her time and he did his best to suspend that moment. When he finally came, he couldn't help saying Quinn's name. Maybe he'd been saying it for awhile now, he was usually too drunk to know or care. But it felt natural, something he couldn't even help.

"Actually it's Amber." The girl said bending down and kissing him. "But I'll let it slip this time."

She got off him and wordlessly went and got in the shower. Jesse took that as his cue to leave. He found a piece of paper on a side table and wrote his name and number down. As he walked home slightly dazed, he still wondered if any of this had actually happened. He would just have to wait and see if she called. If she didn't, he would still be thankful that he finally found, not so much a distraction, but something else. An echo.

XXXXXX

Jesse awoke without a hangover for the first time in a long time. He saw a blond haired girl sleeping next to him and for a moment his heart started to race. But then the previous night came flooding back and he recalled what had happened. Amber had texted him for a booty call and he had replied with his address.

As she lied sleeping with her back to him, it was easier to pretend she was Quinn. He leaned down and kissed her shoulder. Amber awoke and flipped to face him, ruining the illusion. "Good morning." She said with a smile.

"Morning." He answered trying not to let his disappointment show. He had to end this. Even as enjoyable as the sex was, this was not healthy. He couldn't keep pretending that Amber was Quinn. He had to accept the fact that he would never be with her ever again, that she had moved on. He wished he could do the same. God how he wished it.

XXXXXXXX

Whenever Quinn got an overwhelming urge to call or email Jesse, she would call Mercedes instead. Mercedes would either talk her down from her plan to call him or come over and make sure she didn't. But one night Mercedes didn't answer her phone.

Quinn had been having an extremely bad day. She'd gotten into a fight with Sam and they had almost broken up. For some reason that made her want to talk to Jesse. Not that she was going to tell him about Sam. She wanted to hear his voice, have him say something reassuring. It was when she was upset or lonely that she missed him the most.

She was having a staring contest with her phone when she decided to try Mercedes again. There was no answer and Quinn through her phone down in frustration. Would he even pick up the phone? What if he didn't want to talk to her? He couldn't have been too pleased with the way she'd ended things. But how was she supposed to end it when he was across the country?

She fought with herself for what felt like hours. Finally she picked up her phone off the bed and called Jesse. She held her breath as it rang, hoping he wouldn't pick up and wishing he would. What was she even going to say to him? What could she say?

"Quinn?" he answered and her breath caught in her throat. Calling him had been a mistake. She'd missed him before but hearing his voice made it ten times worse. Even just him saying her name, so gentle and hesitant made her wish he was there with her.

"Hi." She said breathlessly. It came out barely above a whisper.

"Why are you calling me?" he demanded to know. Of course he would ask the most difficult question first.

"I…I…" she stammered trying to think of something, anything to say.

"Quinn?"

"I'm so sorry." It was all she could think of to say before she broke down into tears.

"Don't cry." He said softly. Oh how she wished he could put his arms around her at that moment.

"I miss you." She knew it was unfair to say but she couldn't stop herself.

"I miss you so much its unbearable."

She could hear the pain in his voice and she closed her eyes trying to not let it affect her too much. All she wanted was to reach out and touch him, to make this pain end for both of them. She thought back to all those months ago, to the night where he asked her to want him to stay. All she'd had to do was say yes and neither of them would be going through this now.

But she knew she had made the right choice. She'd never doubted her decision when she told him to leave. It was just at moments like this, when they both were suffering so much that she wondered, let herself imagine, what it would have been like if he'd stayed. There was no point in dwelling on it though. Every once in awhile it was nice to dream though.

"I shouldn't have called." She said feeling more tears form in the corners of her eyes.

"No, it's good that you called." She knew he was lying, that this was awful for both of them. And she loved him for trying to reassure her, the same old Jesse. "How are things?"

"I'm…fine." She said not knowing how much to tell him.

"Me too." He said aware of exactly how not fine everything truly was. They both fell silent and she listened to his breathing, imagining it was closer than she knew it was. The tears were streaming silently and continuously down her face as she ached for a boy that was so, so far away. She fell asleep with the phone next to her ear, their phone call still going but neither of them saying anything. They didn't need to.

XXXXXXXXX

Jesse had slept for over twelve hours. He'd miss class and wasn't going to go to rehearsal that started in half an hour. Talking to Quinn on the phone had almost made things worse. Now he couldn't even bring himself to get out of bed. Instead of going to class or any of his other obligations, he went on his laptop and looked up the date of Sectionals. He needed an excuse to go home, to see her. Maybe if he got some closure, something more than an email. If he could just hold her one more time, he could possibly move on. He had to believe he could. But not without seeing her again.

The page took forever to load but when it did, he was relieved to see Sectionals were in a week. He could just fly home and go see them. It would be an excuse and not look like he had just come back for her. He didn't want her to know how much she had destroyed him. He'd reread that email so many times he had it memorized, each word having a particularly cruel sting. But she couldn't know any of that. He'd tried to reveal as little as possible when she called but he knew she had picked up on the fact that he was hurting. He assumed it was because she was too. If she only knew how much, just how much damage she had inflicted on him. It didn't stop him from wanting to see her though.

At least he could see Quinn's new boyfriend, get a look at his competition. After that phone call he couldn't think about anything else but seeing her again. Falling asleep on the phone like that had been one of the most amazing nights in a long time. It had felt like the next best thing to falling asleep with her in his arms. Now he was obsessed with the idea of seeing her again. He had.

So he booked a flight home, just in time for Sectionals. And as he waited and boarded the plane all he could think about was seeing her again. In just a few short hours he could hold her in his arms, kiss her, make love to her. As the plane took off, the only thing on his mind was Quinn and counting down the minutes until he got to see her again.


End file.
